Comments on: RWC: WoodWard’s 10 Commandments on Winning

By: Pfitzy

Pfitzy — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 06:15:44 +0000

Clive was somewhere between coach and manager – a supreme facilitator who got the RFU to fulfill his demands in order to make a good team successful. By the time they arrived at RWC2003, England were ready to beat anyone, despite assurances from the All Blacks that they would have won that final if they’d gotten past the Wallabies. The mere fact that they didn’t get close to us on the day shows the ABs were going to be no match for England.

By: Julian Evans

Julian Evans — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 03:31:40 +0000

Sir Clive’s 10 points for winning the world cup are OK, accept they should be supplemented by an 11th point – do not overr coach or over emphasise the role of the coach. Players win the world cup not coaches. A bad game plan with godd players might lose a world cup, but a good game plan with bad players won’t win you anything. There was nothing wrong with the NZ game plan in 2003, 1999 or 1995. 1995 was just an occassion when the team on the day (SA) played above iself with the emotion of it all and won. However, in 2003 and 1999 the AB had a fine game plan, just not the quality of players to actually win it. Both teams suffered from not having a dominant pack and both teams just didn’t have enough class in enough positions to make the right moves at the right times. Whereas England in 2003 had the most dominant pack in Rugby History and would have won no matter who they played. The fact is if they had a game plan like Australia or NZ they would have won by a lot more. Sad to say they were overcoached and fluffed their lines in the final, only just winning a game they actually dominated. Australia in 1999 had the best game plan, and marginally the better players, but the question remains did they have enough to have beaten the ABs in the final? Unquestionably, Australia had the best team and players in 1991, and it was only their toughness and skill that ultimately won them the final against a home-town Engliand. The contrast with the 1995 ABs in how to win against the home-town team is instructive. While the 1987 All Blacks had both the players and the game plan to be the most dominant team in any RWC. So Sir Clive, it’s all well and good to list a huge number of reasons why, but in the end its the players skills and their mental toughness that count. Coaching doesn’t add much more than polish when you get it right, and can detract from it when you get it wrong

By: stu

stu — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 05:21:03 +0000

Hey jools both teams scored a try in the 2003 rwc final.

By: jools-usa

jools-usa — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 09:25:25 +0000

Is Sir Clive part of the Guscott group who says Australia play dull rugby?
Hope not, as after all, they DID manage one try in RWC 2003 final.
Jools-USA

By: swifty

swifty — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 05:19:35 +0000

I wonder if he has any insights on how to win a lions series …
Sorry but I’ve got lots of time for reading the things he said before he won the world cup but the success obviously got to his head and as he showed in New Zealand in 2005 he had no intention of moving passed his 2003 game plan.