Sir Clive Woodward’s dream team of players could compete with any team from any generation of rugby.
Woodward’s stellar coaching CV also includes stints coaching London Irish, Bath, England and the British & Irish Lions.
Using several interviews and his column for the Mail Online from down the years, we’ve formed Sir Clive Woodward’s dream team of the players based on the players he bestowed with the most acclaim.
BACK-THREE:
Fullback: Jason Robinson (England) – He was a sponge and soaked up every single rugby union skill. By the end he was probably the best kicker out of hand we had, he laid the ball back at rucks perfectly and his tackle technique was perfect. What a player.
Winger: Rory Underwood (England): The speedster never really got the credit he deserved for his consistency for club and country.
Wing: Jonah Lomu (New Zealand) – He took rugby to a whole new level. There’s very rarely one player who dominates a whole World Cup and he certainly did.
CENTRES
Outside-centre: Brian O’Driscoll (Ireland) – In the Grand Slam game in 2003, we worked on a plan to man-mark him with three players, so the tackler was not exposed by O’Driscoll’s footwork and pace in a one-on-one situation. That’s how big a threat we believed he was – he needed three men to handle him. Ireland were going for a Grand Slam, but none of the players around Brian were in the same league.
Inside-centre: Will Greenwood (England): “I think as a pair, O’Driscoll and Woodard, they would dominate any midfield and I like the thought of them together.”