England Revolution
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Sir Clive Woodward Ready To Rescue England In Sensational Return
Sir Clive Woodward will answer the nation's call as and when Twickenham ask him to return to rescue English rugby.
There is a significant faction at HQ pressing for change, and their voice has grown stronger with every poor performance under current manager Martin Johnson.
The man who led England to their only rugby World Cup triumph in Australia seven years ago is under close consideration for a comeback in the top job in the game.
Woodward is as dismayed as almost everyone associated with English rugby by the decline of the national team.The likeliest scenario is that Woodward will be asked to enact a wholesale revision of the structure of English rugby.
It was the reluctance of the RFU to let him implement that revolution immediately after his World Cup triumph that provoked Woodward to resign and try his hand at football with Southampton.
The RFU are reluctant to sacrifice Johnson, Woodward's inspirational captain in Australia, and it is expected he could be retained under Sir Clive.
The man in jeopardy is elite rugby director Rob Andrew, whose star has fallen during a deeply disappointing Six Nations campaign.
The principal barrier to Woodward's return will be removed this summer with the retirement of chief executive Francis Baron. The two fell out over Woodward's restructuring plans but the decline in England's fortunes has started a rethink.
In a recent appearance on Desert Island Discs, Woodward spoke of his continued passion for the game, and his frustration at the amount of rugby being played by England's elite players.
‘You cannot play the amount of rugby they are playing and think they can roll up and beat South Africa and New Zealand. The team that seems to suffer most is England.'
Publicly, the RFU were last night at pains to support the status quo. The chairman of the management board, Martyn Thomas, released a statement at the end of their monthly meeting at Twickenham which read: ‘We discussed the ongoing media speculation about the England team management and our elite rugby department and were unanimous that it is unwarranted and unsubstantiated.
'I review what is happening in the whole elite department, including what is happening with Martin and the senior coaches.'
Johnson acknowledged the vulnerability of his own position in the cut-throat world of Test rugby, saying: ‘We are in a results-driven business. The players know that — they know if they don't play well, they will be out.
'I know if I don't do a good enough job, ultimately I won't be here very long. I understand that. That's the way it should be.'
However, the manager launched a passionate defence of his assistants, suggesting that if the RFU board decide that coaching changes are required, they face a major fight from Johnson.
Woodward is currently the elite performance director of the British Olympic Association but it is unlikely that chairman Lord Moynihan, who is aware of Sir Clive's relish for the cutting edge of competition, would stand in his way.
Woodward's systems and methods are now firmly in place and being implemented by many of the leading coaches in the Olympics disciplines.
It is not inconceivable that the workaholic Woodward could continue to supervise the programme in conjunction with reviving English rugby.
As Johnson slumped to his 10th defeat in 19 matches on Saturday, many at Twickenham recalled that when Woodward won the World Cup, he did so with a 91 per cent win record, which included a host of games against the Southern Hemisphere giants.
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