8 months on, Clive Woodward is still seething about some 'embarrassing' England World Cup final preparations
Clive Woodward has revisited last November’s World Cup final loss by England to South Africa, branding some of their preparations as “embarrassing” and asking why there was no post-finals debrief after Eddie Jones’ team failed to fire a shot in the biggest game of their lives.
Woodward had previously hinted that England were distracted coming into the decider in Yokohama versus the Springboks. All of the teams that had knocked out the All Blacks at previous World Cups – bar eventual winners Australia in 1991 – had failed to back up their New Zealand elimination performances.
France in 1999 lost the final to Australia after knocking out the All Blacks, Australia then lost the 2003 final to England after doing likewise in the last four, while the French were defeated in the 2007 semi-finals by the English after dumping the Kiwis. That same fate then befell Jones’ England eight months ago, the high of beating New Zealand getting quickly followed a deflating underperformance and defeat by the Springboks in the decider seven days later.
It’s a loss that still clearly rankles with Woodward, the 2003 tournament-winning coach who was present at the 2019 finals in Japan as a pundit. Speaking on a webinar hosted by St Mary’s University Twickenham where he is a visiting professor, he tore strips off England, slamming the behaviour of props Dan Cole and Joe Marler at a media conference 48 hours before the final and how the squad then arrived late to the stadium on matchday.
Reflecting on the difference he found between the England that won its semi-final and the team that lost the final, Woodward said: “The game against the All Blacks was pretty, pretty special. I was there with people like Martin Johnson, Lawrence Dallaglio and they knew better than anybody that that was the semi-final… Rugby World Cup is about winning the final and nothing else matters.
Did you miss last week's webinar with @CliveWoodward? The Rugby World Cup wining coach joined us to discuss the challenges facing rugby union.
The full webinar is now live on YouTube and on our website:https://t.co/G6nlwLjgex
— St Mary's University (@YourStMarys) July 21, 2020
“Being there first-hand you just saw this amazing performance and in that (semi-final) week in the build-up everything was great. You could just feel there was a real edge to this team. Eddie Jones was great in the press conference, really in his belligerent best.
“He said who in the room thinks we can win his game – I wasn’t there by the way. Not a single hand went up and he said, ‘There you go, we have got no chance’. The English, we are probably better than most when we are in a corner and written off. It was our kind of trademark (in ’03), and this team was in a corner. No one thought they could beat the All Blacks.
“But that England team was fantastic when you look at Maro (Itoje), Owen Farrell and these guys, you have got some of the best players ever to have played for England. So England knew they had a real chance and they got everything right.
“Even before the game I was pitchside with ITV, Owen Farrell came past and we had a firm handshake, eye to eye contact, and I just turned and said they are going to win this game. You could just see it was there. When you have been there and felt it, you know when things are right.
“So they win this game and they play really well, there is no doubt about it. They beat the All Blacks and no one can say they didn’t deserve to win. Then the following week, being there was the most frustrating week ever because you just felt it was completely different. Everyone in the media, apart from me, was saying England by 20, 30 points because South Africa beat Wales in the semi-final and Wales could and should have won that game – South Africa played really poorly,” continued Woodward.
“So you have this crisis situation – you look at the South Africans on paper and you go, ‘Wow, this is a serious team’. Of course, everyone is building up England and they didn’t help themselves. They just seemed to get distracted, it just wasn’t the same.
“I was with Martin and Lawrence and we were going, ‘This is going to be close, this is going to be more than close’. In fact, I thought South Africa were going to win because it was a complete reversal from the semi-final. I just saw distractions everywhere,” explained Woodward, who visited the England camp two days before the final.
“I don’t normally go to the press conferences despite the fact that I was working over there for the Mail and ITV. But I went to this press conference because I was interviewing Eddie Jones after the main press conference. Eddie and Owen were there and it was the Thursday afternoon, two days before the biggest day of your life, and they were okay. It wasn’t quite as sharp and edgy, there was a bit too much humour for me.
“You have to find a way to win no matter what it takes. If you get in trouble, you’ve got a World Cup winners’ medal.”https://t.co/iEM0FTsxse
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 6, 2019
“But then they left and half the press conference left with them. Then they sent up two players. I stayed in the room. I was at the back with my baseball cap on, so no one knew I was there. The two players were Dan Cole and Joe Marler, two guys on the bench, two front rowers.
“Honestly, I sat there and it was like Laurel and Hardy. I’m just going, I know they are on the bench but this is 48 hours from the World Cup final. It was to me poor and that is me being polite. It was really poor.
“As history turned out, these two players would have a huge, huge role in the game with (Kyle) Sinckler going off so early. So Cole is on really, really early. Marler comes on as they take off Mako Vunipola.
“South African journalists who I knew well came up to me after the press conference after these two had finished larking around after 20 minutes – it wasn’t larking around it was embarrassing – and they said, ‘Well if that is the mood in the England camp we have got half a chance’. That just said everything to me.
More Japanese gold from Joe Marler about his partner in comedy, Dan Cole https://t.co/e1JTCTQM47
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 20, 2019
“I just think they got complacent. Looking at stuff at social media, a lot of guests arriving in the camp from celebrities… to Australian people. They got it wrong. I have exchanged curt texts with Eddie since because he has heard what I have been saying. They got it wrong.”
Thinking back to how his England got their preparations correct 17 years ago, Woodward reflected: “I just remember back in 2003 after we beat France in the semi-final sitting every player down and saying, ‘Guys, just give me one week. There is going to be distractions everywhere, from family to friends to media to sponsors, just don’t get involved. Win the World Cup. Do what the hell you like next Sunday, just win the World Cup, just give me one week’. We went mad on not getting distracted by anybody.
“I just think (this) England got distracted, right down to the blinkin’ team didn’t arrive on time. I’m on the pitchside. We normally position our cameras so we are behind the England warm-up and we are well into the programme and I have got the ITV producer in my headphones going, ‘Where are the England team?’
“Don’t ask me, I’m on the touchline. I haven’t got a clue where they are because they weren’t there and they arrived late, literally half an hour late for the World Cup final. It’s a meticulous, military operation that preparation, so to arrive 30 minutes later for the World Cup final, again it said the heads just weren’t quite there.
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— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) July 18, 2020
“It was best summed up when we a cab back. This taxi driver knew who I was and said: ‘What happened?’ I said, ‘What do you think happened?’ He said: ‘Well, it was a bit like the Olympic Games.
“You get to the semi-final and Usain Bolt beats the world record in the 100 metres sprint and you go, Wow, semi-final, a world record. Then the next day you do the final and Usain Bolt comes fourth’.
“I said that’s the best analogy I have ever heard about what happened to England. In the semi-final you beat the world record (beat the All Blacks), you do unbelievably well, but there is nothing about semi-finals, nothing about marks out of ten. It’s about winning these things and they got it wrong.
“I’m glad Eddie is staying on, I’m glad he has got a chance to resurrect it because he will learn a huge amount of lessons from that week but gee, they got it wrong. England could have won. In my view, they were the best team, had the best players. From 1 to 15 that team should have put away South Africa but they got badly distracted and they didn’t just lose, they got blown away.
“And there has never been a report back from Twickenham. I have been asking various people where is your report, I want to know what happened, where is your debrief on what happened in the biggest game of your lives, you didn’t fire a shot? But everyone seems to have just moved on quickly and forgot about it.
“There you go. Those players will regret that because many won’t get a second chance. Some will. Maro, Owen. They will have a good team in Paris in a few years time but so will France. I’m doing some work now down in France, they will have a very good team so it won’t be easy. Don’t assume just because we [England] got to the final the same team will win in 2023 – it will be doubly hard for this team.”
ICYMI: Our Where Are They Now look at England's 2003 RWC winners reminded us of the important contrast Jason Robinson spotted between Eddie Jones' 2019 squad and Clive Woodward's Class of 2003 https://t.co/TTbQayamNL
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) April 18, 2020
Comments on RugbyPass
Je suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusades , you can keep going.
1 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
25 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
25 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
25 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
25 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
11 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
11 Go to comments