The Wayward Report Part 1

SCW's best friend
By General Sup
July 6 2004

Sir Clive Woodward took England to a World Cup success. He masterminded the team's build up towards the tournament with back to back victories over the All Blacks and Australia last summer on their patches. It was a first for England and something to make the southern hemisphere teams think about.

A week or two's downtime recharged the squad's batteries for the task ahead whilst Woodward tightened up the nuts and bolts of the backroom machine. Despite a degree of rustiness, England went relentlessly onwards and won the World Cup in Sydney on that gloriously damp November day.

Progress since then has been patchy to say the least. It was always going to be a difficult transition from achieving the ultimate goal (and the attendant celebrations) to getting back to business minus one of the most prodigious captains ever to grace an international paddock. Some players took the rest they badly needed. Other squad members who had enjoyed less game time in Australia pitched themselves headlong into the rough and tumble of Zurich Premiership football straight away.

Come January, the Six Nations beckoned. Jonno had retired and Lawrence had assumed the captain's mantle. Some of the World Cup party were still on top of their games, others looked jaded and Johnny had finally met his appointment with the surgeon's scalpel. It would be a different team that would defend the Grand Slam. How would Woodward's team evolve?

His mantra that the players form would overarch his selectoral strategy began to be laid bare when Scotland tested our mettle. Italy were cast aside too but the team seemed a touch out of sorts. Surely a week's rest would benefit the team as Woodward ironed out a few inadequacies before the home test against Ireland?

The Green shirts swarmed all over England's ranks and finally cut a swathe through our overstretched defence. A scoreline of 13-19 barely told the tale of Ireland's derring-do. The cracks were papered over and Wales were dispatched, but with some difficulty. The lineout was creaking, the cutting edge was gone.

France lay in wait. Would they throw off their haunting memories of a humbling World Cup semi-final? Not only were the memories consigned to history, France's masterclass in how to secure a Grand Slam in style was only tarnished by a tardy English rally.

Would Woodward and England learn the lessons required before trudging southwards again this summer? Yes, we hoped, waiting for the first team sheet to be posted...the lack of Woodward's understanding was plain to see.

Update: Clearly lessons haven't been learned - he's still picking based on his wife's advice rather than form.