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'It's not the lowest point because you're representing your country at a World Cup' - Tom Wood on England 2015, Lewis Ludlum and his born-again Saints
No one will ever forget the anti-climactic rollercoaster that England experienced in 2015. There was a beaming Stuart Lancaster on the first Saturday of September, optimistically declaring in the wake of a convincing warm-up win over Ireland at Twickenham that his squad had all the necessary ammunition to go all the way and win their home World Cup eight weeks down the line.
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Four Saturdays later, though, the chastened coach was using a very different kind of vocabulary. Billy Williams’ cabbage patch had just witnessed the death of a dream and its impact was devastating for the central characters at the epicentre of a pool elimination that has taken place with one game still to spare.
Tom Wood lived and breathed every moment of that cruel journey, but don’t dare suggest that England’s exit in the full glare of global publicity after brutal losses to rivals Wales and Australia was a low point in a seven-year Test career that harvested 50 caps in the back row,
“It’s not the lowest point because you’re representing your country at a World Cup,” he insisted to RugbyPass, looking back on an occasion where England went from would-be champs to chumps inside 28 days.
“I wouldn’t describe it a low point in my career, but it was unbelievably deflating and disappointing only because we had such high hopes and we were a far better team than what we achieved in that tournament. We were genuinely training and preparing with a view to going on and competing to win the thing and in the end, we lost two key games and didn’t make it out of the pool. They are fine margins.
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“On another day we could have easily beaten Wales and we have comfortably beaten the likes of Australia in the past, especially at Twickenham, but those two days just didn’t go our way for whatever reason. That is the difference between going on and competing for silverware and being in knockout rugby, or going home early from your home World Cup.
“I remember in the warm-up game we played Ireland, played unbelievably well and had a great result against them, but warm-up games don’t count for much. You have got to win the pool games and get yourself into a position to compete for silverware.
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“It’s a very different thing when you have four pool games and then you go into knockout rugby. It is very different from the rest of the international calendar where you play one-off games or you play a Six Nations with breaks in between and play familiar opposition. It’s just a different dynamic, especially on the back of a long pre-season camp.
“Both of the World Cups I was involved in (2011 and 2015), we worked unbelievably hard, spent an awful lot of time in pre-season running lengths and getting fit and we probably underachieved in both of those. The high hopes we had in 2015 with the home World Cup, we really fell flat on our face despite training, preparing, being so organised and planning so far ahead and working so unbelievably hard in pre-season. It didn’t quite happen for us.
“You have got to learn to win games, you have got to learn how to play a tournament-style rugby rather than week in week out, manage your resources, get games won in those pressure situations. You can be as fit as you want but it the game doesn’t go the way that you want like it didn’t for us in 2015, then it is all for nothing.”
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Now 32 and nearly two and a half years on from his last Test outing, the March 2017 Grand Slam loss to Ireland in Dublin, international rugby is very much a thing of the past for Wood. He readily admits that he doesn’t watch an awful lot of rugby these days, but World Cup 2019 will be an exception.
13 years ago I promised my primary school teacher if I ever played for England id get her tickets to my first game to thank her for her support. Can’t believe we actually managed to track her down! pic.twitter.com/Wi7060esr1
— Lewis Wesley Ludlam (@LewisLudlam) August 13, 2019
His Northampton Saints have feet in a number of camps. There’s Fijian Api Ratuniyarawa, Samoan Ahsee Tuala, Scot Rory Hutchinson, Springbok Cobus Reinach, Dan Biggar of Wales and three Englishman, Courtney Lawes, Piers Francis and Lewis Ludlam, the 23-year-old flanker whose sudden emergence at Test level this past month has caught so many by surprise.
He’s living the dream just now, heading to the World Cup that no one a year ago would have predicted he would be selected for. Wood can’t but admire his fast-track progress. “Lewis has always had that potential,” he enthused. “He has always been a very tough player.
“He has definitely refined some of his game in the last year or so and had a lot of experience of game time under Chris Boyd. He did do a little bit under Jim Mallinder in his final year as well, but he has really blossomed in the last year. He has always been a tough competitor and it’s great to see him do so well on the national stage. He really deserves that after the season at Saints.
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@lewisludlam in Test rugby ?? 3??4?? tackles made? 0??0?? tackles missed
“He’s a real leader for us energy-wise. He’s a tough guy. He carries the ball well, he breaks tackles, he runs like there is nobody there. He runs through people similar to the way Teimana Harrison does. He’s not the biggest guy in the world but he punches well above his weight and his tackle technique is exceptional. You watch him getting off the line, tackling low, chopping low, big guys running down his channel, he drops really low and gets underneath them and puts them back on a regular basis.
“He is exceptional at that and the areas that he wasn’t as strong in he has worked really hard on, things like his lineout are really coming on. In the forwards, you can have all those natural physical attributes but if you can’t function in the lineout or in the set-piece, it is really difficult to make it at Test level so that is where he has really brought his game on, made a difference and made that step up.”
Ludlam’s shooting star is a reminder to Wood how professional rugby is increasingly becoming a younger man’s game, a development reflected in his own contract situation at Franklin’s Gardens. “It’s guaranteed for a year,” he explained about the latest deal he signed in 2019, “and then you have to play a certain amount of games to guarantee I get the second season. The second season is all in writing, I just need to play enough games.
Not sure what to make of that eng v ire score yesterday. England looked so powerful and dominant across the board. Big individual performances all round but @maroitoje stood out for me. @SGUnderhill hustle and low chops and how good to see @Manutuilagi back to that level??
— Tom Wood (@tomwood678) August 25, 2019
“It’s just the nature of being this old. I have got to keep earning my keep. but I only really want to be here as long as I’m fit and playing and being selected. If I’m not in contention and I’m not playing well then I will have to hang up my boots for my own good.”
His warhorse experience can help him stay the course, though. “There is certainly a place for the old guard,” he insisted. “Experience and other things do count for a lot. We have seen a lot of it in training, young guys coming through who are unbelievable athletes but don’t know the nuance of the game, lineout and set-piece in particular.
“You can be a very average athlete and a very good rugby player because you know the game, you know the running lines, you know how to defend. It’s not always the fastest person that is the quickest off the line in defence.
“It’s about concentration and anticipation and understanding, those kinds of things. But I do think generally this pre-season has illustrated how good and fit some of these youngsters are and how hard it is to keep up with the old body the days.
“My focus is still very much on being the very best I can be for the club. I anticipate hopefully playing a couple of years yet. We will see how the body is at that stage and whether anyone is willing to offer me a deal.
“Realistically if I can play another couple of years at the top of my game and play well in a good Saints team and perform to the standards that I need to then I will hopefully bow out on my own terms with relative grace.
“I have got lots of things in the pipeline. I do my woodwork, do some tree surgery, have got some property stuff going on, particularly with my old man and my brother. But I don’t have any hard and fast plans because I’m only really planning for playing and winning rugby matches.”
That declaration will buoy Saints fans confident that last term’s run to the Premiership semi-finals was no flash in the pan under Boyd, the New Zealander who inherited a squad that was at a low ebb after the momentum of the trophy-winning Mallinder era had ground to a sobering halt.
“I have loved all my years here at Saints but if I’m honest things got a little bit stagnant and results weren’t going our way. We were a bit frustrated within the camp. Everyone was across the board because we have got really high ambitions and standards for ourselves and we weren’t quite reaching them.
Awesome to see the boss man leading from the front here. Engaging with our clubs rich history and honouring those that made all that we have today possible https://t.co/W8XG2BENTG
— Tom Wood (@tomwood678) August 29, 2019
“But with Chris coming in and a lot of new coaches with him, some condition staff as well and a lot of young players who have come through and stepped up, there is a lot of fresh energy around the place, a lot of optimism and ambition, so it’s a great place to be at the minute.
“You have got to prove yourself all over again with a new coach, especially someone coming from so far afield who perhaps didn’t have an intimate knowledge of the individuals within the team before he got here. You have got to back yourself, though.
“There is a little bit (of anxiety). You have got to acknowledge the fact that all the groundwork, all foundations, all the credit you have in the bank with the previous regime is all out the window and you have got to start all over again.
“But that is the way it should be anyway and I will always back myself to live with that. I obviously did a reasonable job of it having the contract extended,” he said seven weeks out from the start of a new Premiership campaign that will see Northampton trek to champions Saracens on October 19.
“We’re eager. We are basically out on the pitch doing rugby and fitness, we have not had many philosophical meetings yet. That is yet to come. We are going to have a little mini-camp where we go away for a couple of days and then we will really thrash out what we want to achieve during the year, what is going to be acceptable, what are our goals, what our minimum standards are and everything else.
“That is yet to come. For now, we are just laying the foundations of physical prep. There is good excitement around the place after last season.”
WATCH: Part one of Operation Jaypan, the two-part RugbyPass documentary on what the fans can expect at the World Cup in Japan
Comments on RugbyPass
I know Leinster did a job on La Roche but shortly after HT Leinster were 30-13 ahead of them and at a similar time Toulouse were trailing Exeter. At 60 mins Leinster were 27 ahead but after 67 mins Toulouse were only 19 ahead before Exeter collapsed. That’s heavier scoring by Leinster against the Champions. I think people are looking at Toulouses total a little too much. I also think Northhampton are in with a real chance, albeit I’d put Leinster as favourites. If Leinster make the final I expect them to win by more than ten and with control.
2 Go to commentsHey Nick, your match analysis is decent but the top and tail not so much, a bit more random. For a start there’s a seismic difference in regenerating any club side over a test team. EJ pretty much had to urinate with the appendage he’d been given at test level whereas club success is impacted hugely by the budget. Look no further than Boudjellal’s Toulon project for a perfect example. The set ups at La Rochelle and Leinster are like chalk and cheese and you are correct that Leinster are ahead. Leinster are not just slightly ahead though, they are light years ahead on their plans, with the next gen champions cup team already blooded, seasoned and developing at speed from their time manning the fort in the URC while the cream play CC and tests. They have engineered a strong talent conveyor belt into their system, supported by private money funnelled into a couple of Leinster private schools. The really smart move from Leinster and the IRFU however is maximising the Irish Revenue tax breaks (tax relief on the best 10 years earnings refunded at retirement) to help keep all of their stars in Ireland and happy, while simultaneously funding marquee players consistently. And of course Barrett is the latest example. But in no way is he a “replacement for Henshaw”, he’s only there for one season!!! As for Rob Baxter, the best advice you can give him is to start lobbying Parliament and HMRC for a similar state subsidy, but don’t hold your breath… One thing Cullen has been very smart with is his coaching team. Very quickly he realised his need to supplement his skills, there was talk of him exiting after his first couple of years but he was extremely shrewd bringing in Lancaster and now Nienaber. That has worked superbly and added a layer that really has made a tangible difference. Apart from that you were bang on the money… 😉😂
2 Go to commentsNot sure exactly what went wrong for him at Glasgow but it’s pretty clear he ain’t Franco’s cup of tea. Suspect he would have been better served heading out of Scotland around the same time as Finn, Hoggy and Jonny!
1 Go to commentsBulls disrespected the Northampton supporters and the competition. Decide quickly, fully in or out.
24 Go to commentsI wonder if Parling was ever on England’s radar as a coach? Obviously Borthwick is a great lineout coach, but I do worry he might be taking on too much as both head coach and forwards coach.
1 Go to commentsJason Jenkins has one cap. When Etzebeth was his age he had over 80 caps. Experience matters. He will never amount to what Etzebeth has because he hasn’t been developed as an international player.
2 Go to commentsSays much about the player picking this gig over the easier and bigger rewards offered to him in Japan. Also says a lot about the state sanctioned tax benefits the Irish Revenue offers pro rugby players, with their ten highest earning years subject to an additional 40% tax relief and paid as a lump sum, in cash, at retirement. Certainly helps Leinster line up the financial ducks in a row to fund marquee signings like this!!! No other union anywhere in world rugby benefits from this kind of lucrative financial sponsorship from their government…
5 Go to commentsTrue Jordie could earn a lot more in Japan. But by choosing Leinster he’ll be playing with 1 of the best clubs in the world and can win a champions cup and URC…..
6 Go to commentsThanks for that Marshy, noticed you didn't say who is gonna win it. We know who ain't gonna win it - your Crusaders outfit. They've gone from having arguably the best Super Rugby first five ever, to having a clutch of rookies. Hurricanes all the way!
1 Go to commentsGeez you really have to question the NRLs ability to produce players of quality. Its pathetic. Dont the 25mil in Aus produce enough quality womens players. Sad.
1 Go to commentsBulls fan here, and agree 100% with the conclusion (and little else) of this article. SA sides should absolutely f-off from the champs cup until we get fair scheduling, equal support for travel arrangements and home semis. You know, like all the european teams get.
24 Go to commentsI’m yet to see why Grace would be an ABs contender. He’s pedestrian and lacks the dominance required of a top flight 8.
11 Go to commentsGee my Highlanders were terrible. They have gone backwards since the start of the season. The trouble began when we left Millar behind to prep as the 10 against the Brumbies and he was disconnected from the team that came back from Aussie. We rested Patchell for that game and we blew an avalanche of ball in good attacking positions in the 1st half. Against the Rebels we seem to of gone into a pod system with forwards hanging off from the breakdown leaving Fakatava to secure our ball!
80 Go to commentsPot Kettle, the English and French teams have done it for years.
24 Go to commentsHas virtually played every minute of previous games. Back row of Li Lo Willie , Grace and Blackadder would be the 1. Crusaders issue is a very average 1st 5 who cannot run. Kicking in general play is also below par They need to put Yong Kemara in. He must have so.e talent for them to bring him down from Waikato. Hoehepa would struggle to play in so.e club sided
11 Go to commentsI hope this a good thing making all these changes!
3 Go to commentsThe Hurricanes are good, especially with a decent coach now. However, let’s be real, the Crusaders and Chiefs are clearly a good degree weaker without the players they’ve lost overseas now. The Canes lost one player. It’s also why the aussie teams ‘seem’ to be stronger.
9 Go to commentsOr you could develop your own players instead of constantly taking from the SH competition and weakening it in the process? With all the player and financial resources these unions have compared to SH countries you’d think they could manage that, or is weakening the SH comps and their national sides an added bonus? Probably.
3 Go to commentsNot so fast Aaron, we might need you in black yet lol. God knows he’d be a lot less nerve-racking than hot and (very) cold players like Perofeta. It’s really a shame Reuben Love isn’t playing 10, we’ve got enough 15 options.
4 Go to commentsAnd those from the NH still seem to be puzzled (and delighted) why NZ’s depth isn’t what it once was. Over 600 NZ players overseas, that’s insane. This sort of deal is why Super Rugby coaches have admitted they struggle now to find enough quality to fill out their squads.
6 Go to comments