Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

Clive Woodward was an 'absolutely rubbish' coach says one of his former London Irish players

Clive Wodward in 1999 (Credit: David Rogers /Allsport

He may have gone on to steer England to a Rugby World Cup in 2003, but one former player of his says Clive Woodward wasn’t up to much in his early days as a coach.

ADVERTISEMENT

Woodward’s victory at the World Cup in 2003 was followed by a disastrous British and Irish Lions tour in 2005, where the tourists were famously ‘black-washed’ three – nothing in the Test series. He hasn’t coached an elite side since, but has made a name for himself as an outspoken pundit with the Daily Mail as a motivational speaker and sports administrator. He was knighted in 2004.

Woodward coached London Irish between 1994 and 1997, where former Ireland international winger Niall Woods would have been one of his charges. Now an agent, Woods have recalled that while the Englishman was an excellent motivator, he struggled with the technical side of coaching.

Video Spacer

Up and coming scrumhalf Harry Randall talks to Big Jim on RugbyPass All Access:

Video Player is loading.
Current Time 0:00
Duration 0:00
Loaded: 0%
Stream Type LIVE
Remaining Time 0:00
 
1x
    • Chapters
    • descriptions off, selected
    • captions off, selected
      Video Spacer

      Up and coming scrumhalf Harry Randall talks to Big Jim on RugbyPass All Access:

      Speaking on Off the Ball, Woods recalled his experiences at the club while Woodward was in charge. “He was absolutely rubbish [as a coach]. Clive was an amazing individual, he is an unbelievable motivator, great talker, but technically as a rugby coach he wouldn’t have been very good at the time.”

      Woods, who had been under the tutelage of Eddie O’Sullivan back in Ireland, said Woodward paled in comparison from a technical point of view.

      “I had come from Eddie O’Sullivan in Blackrock in the AIL days, who at that stage was way ahead of his time in terms of analysing teams and players.”

      Woods, who won eight Ireland caps, also revealed that Woodward would sign off letters with ‘Rugby is come home’.

      ADVERTISEMENT

      “Clive used to send me letters, I was working at my dad’s accountancy firm in 1996, and he’d sign off… ‘rugby is coming home’. The Euros in ’96, we should all remember, was in the UK, and the song that came out was ‘Football is coming home’, so it was after the Five Nations, so it March, April and May.

      “There were three or four letters, and he would sign them off with ‘rugby is coming home’.”

      Woods admits that Woodward went on to become a good head coach, with the resources of the RFU behind him and a brilliant playing squad.

      “The problem he had at London Irish was that he didn’t have a good enough squad. He went to Bath for a while, and then he went to England. Obviously they have quite deep pockets in the RFU, and he is, not necessarily a bully, but he will get his way when he wants it.

      ADVERTISEMENT

      “That allied to him having a really good team in 2003 and their team for that World Cup in ’03 just peaked at the right time.

      “When I had him, certainly, he wasn’t very good.”

      ADVERTISEMENT

      HSBC SVNS Singapore 2025 | Day Two Men's Highlights

      HSBC SVNS Singapore 2025 | Day Two Women's Highlights

      Jet Lag: The biggest challenge facing international sports? | The Report

      Boks Office | Episode 39 | The Investec Champions Cup is back

      Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry? | New Zealand & Australia | Sevens Wonders | Episode 5

      Kobelco Kobe Steelers vs Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo | Japan Rugby League One 2024/25 | Full Match Replay

      The Rise of Kenya | The Report

      The Fixture: How This Rugby Rivalry Has Lasted 59 Years

      Trending on RugbyPass

      Comments

      0 Comments
      Be the first to comment...

      Join free and tell us what you really think!

      Sign up for free
      ADVERTISEMENT

      Latest Features

      Comments on RugbyPass

      K
      Katy Martin 2 hours ago
      Glasgow's honest take on Sam Prendergast: 'I think they make it easy for him'

      As a truck driver who spends long hours on the road, I understand the value of hard work. My job demands long shifts, constant focus, and time away from loved ones. To make extra income during my limited downtime, I started mining cryptocurrency. After months of dedication, I finally saved enough to buy BITCOIN through P2P on Binance. It felt like a major milestone. I was proud of what I had built, turning my effort into BITCOIN, an asset I believed in. That pride quickly turned into heartbreak. Someone I trusted scammed me out of $85,000 worth of BITCOIN in a single transaction. I was crushed. I had sacrificed sleep, missed out on time with friends and family, and worked relentlessly, only to have everything taken from me in seconds. The emotional and financial blow was devastating. Still, I was not ready to give up. I started researching ways to recover stolen BITCOIN and came across TECH CYBER FORCE RECOVERY. I saw countless testimonials from people who had lost cryptocurrency and managed to recover it with their help. Desperate but hopeful, I reached out and shared my story. To my complete shock, TECH CYBER FORCE RECOVERY managed to trace and recover my stolen BITCOIN within just 21 hours. The funds were safely returned to my wallet. I cannot describe the relief I felt. Months of hard work were not wasted after all. My belief in BITCOIN as a store of value had been shaken, but thanks to TECH CYBER FORCE RECOVERY, I got a second chance. Even more incredible, their team helped law enforcement track down the scammer responsible. That person was arrested, and justice was served. I could finally breathe again, knowing that the person who took advantage of my trust was held accountable. If you have lost BITCOIN or other crypto to a scam, whether through fake investments, phishing schemes, or fraudulent platforms, do not lose hope. TECH CYBER FORCE RECOVERY specializes in recovering stolen BITCOIN and other digital assets, even from apps like Binance, Cash App, or Coinbase. Their team is fast, trustworthy, and truly committed to helping victims like me. Losing BITCOIN you worked hard for is painful, but recovery is possible. Reach out to TECH CYBER FORCE RECOVERY today and take back control of your financial future. CONSUL THEM wa.me/15617263697

      1 Go to comments
      t
      tonirobinson362 3 hours ago
      ‘Redefine the future’: India unveils revolutionary Rugby Premier League

      A few weeks ago, I came across a YouTube ad that stopped me in my tracks. It looked like a live broadcast of Elon Musk announcing Tesla’s “exclusive crypto project.” The production was flawless, professional, convincing, and eerily realistic. His voice, expressions, mannerisms everything matched what you’d expect from a real Tesla livestream.The ad promised massive returns if you “joined the project” by sending Bitcoin to a wallet address. I was skeptical at first, but the countdown timer, skyrocketing charts, and Elon’s confident pitch chipped away at my doubt. Eventually, I gave in. I sent $8,000 worth of BTC, thinking I was getting in early on a groundbreaking initiative.But just a few hours later, something didn’t sit right. I checked Tesla’s official channels. No mention of any crypto project. My stomach dropped.I rushed to a blockchain explorer and looked up the wallet address I’d sent the funds to. What I saw confirmed my worst fears: my BTC was being split and moved rapidly across multiple wallets in a process known as “smurfing,” a common money laundering technique. I had been scammed.In desperation, I searched for help and came acrossCHAINTRACE ASSET RECOVERYa blockchain forensics firm. Honestly, I didn’t expect much but I reached out anyway. To my surprise, they responded quickly and took my case seriously. Their team began tracking the funds in real time, tracing the flow of my BTC through a web of wallets.Incredibly, they managed to link the stolen funds to a wallet connected to an account on Finance, one of the world’s largest crypto exchanges.They didn’t waste a second. Within 48 hours, CHAINTRACE ASSET RECOVERYhad coordinated with Binance’s security team, who were able to freeze the scammer’s account before the funds could be withdrawn or laundered further.A few days later, the impossible happened the full $8,000 was returned to me.Even now, I can hardly believe it. I went from being scammed by a deepfake crypto con to getting every dollar back, all thanks to the quick action and expertise of CHAINTRACE ASSET RECOVERY.If you’ve fallen victim to a crypto scam, don’t give up. Get help immediately. Time is critical, and with CHAINTRACE ASSET RECOVERY,recovery is possible.  

      WHATSAPP : ‪‪+1 (581) 256‑1989‬‬

      TELEGRAM : ‪https://t.me/CHAINTRACE_ASSET_RECOVERY‬ WEBSITE ‪https://chaintraceassetrecovery.com

      1 Go to comments
      K
      Katy Martin 3 hours ago
      English rugby's longest-serving ‘one club man’ prepares to bow out

      As a truck driver who spends long hours on the road, I understand the value of hard work. My job demands long shifts, constant focus, and time away from loved ones. To make extra income during my limited downtime, I started mining cryptocurrency. After months of dedication, I finally saved enough to buy BITCOIN through P2P on Binance. It felt like a major milestone. I was proud of what I had built, turning my effort into BITCOIN, an asset I believed in. That pride quickly turned into heartbreak. Someone I trusted scammed me out of $85,000 worth of BITCOIN in a single transaction. I was crushed. I had sacrificed sleep, missed out on time with friends and family, and worked relentlessly, only to have everything taken from me in seconds. The emotional and financial blow was devastating. Still, I was not ready to give up. I started researching ways to recover stolen BITCOIN and came across TECH CYBER FORCE RECOVERY. I saw countless testimonials from people who had lost cryptocurrency and managed to recover it with their help. Desperate but hopeful, I reached out and shared my story. To my complete shock, TECH CYBER FORCE RECOVERY managed to trace and recover my stolen BITCOIN within just 21 hours. The funds were safely returned to my wallet. I cannot describe the relief I felt. Months of hard work were not wasted after all. My belief in BITCOIN as a store of value had been shaken, but thanks to TECH CYBER FORCE RECOVERY, I got a second chance. Even more incredible, their team helped law enforcement track down the scammer responsible. That person was arrested, and justice was served. I could finally breathe again, knowing that the person who took advantage of my trust was held accountable. If you have lost BITCOIN or other crypto to a scam, whether through fake investments, phishing schemes, or fraudulent platforms, do not lose hope. TECH CYBER FORCE RECOVERY specializes in recovering stolen BITCOIN and other digital assets, even from apps like Binance, Cash App, or Coinbase. Their team is fast, trustworthy, and truly committed to helping victims like me. Losing BITCOIN you worked hard for is painful, but recovery is possible. Reach out to TECH CYBER FORCE RECOVERY today and take back control of your financial future. CONSUL THEM wa.me/15617263697

      0 Go to comments
      LONG READ
      LONG READ Can Rugby Australia afford to go ‘all in’ on the Queensland Reds? Can Rugby Australia afford to go ‘all in’ on the Queensland Reds?
      Search