Rugby World Cup 2015: Clive Woodward on radar for England job

Ex England coach and TV Pundit Clive Woodward. Photo / Getty

The rumblings are beginning and growing in momentum - Sir Clive Woodward could be coming back as England's rugby kingmaker.

With Stu Lancaster tipped as unlikely to survive following England's disastrous World Cup campaign, the host nation's major media outlets are in speculation overdrive over who will succeed him. And Woodward, overseer of England's sole Cup victory in 2003, is dominating most of the headlines.

Already England's leading rugby writers are at odds with each other over the prospect of a return of Woodward who is often seen as equal parts messiah and equal parts ego-driven disrupter.

As London's Daily Telegraph put it, either way the "rumble of a Sir Clive Woodward bandwagon rolling towards Twickenham threatens to split English rugby in two again".

The Telegraph's long-time rugby correspondent Paul Hayward was in the camp warning against bringing back Woodward, pointing out his failures outnumber his successes and that the rugby knight is often at the centre of the sort divisive politics that wreck teams rather than uniting them.

"Woodward has featured in three political upheavals at the Rugby Football Union and those frictions now seem bound to re-emerge," he wrote.

"Woodward's allies are increasingly vocal in their belief that he should return to Twickenham as director of rugby, with responsibility for appointing Lancaster's successor. But those who bear the bruises of Woodward's past attempts to rise again are increasingly anxious about the political chaos his return would generate.

"There is no evidence that Woodward is orchestrating a campaign to reclaim his old power base but his admirers are breaking cover."

Earlier this week, Martyn Thomas, the former (England) RFU chairman who was among Woodward's biggest fans, told the Telegraph: "The tragedy is that Clive should be managing English rugby." He added he had privately told his successors that it was a mistake to appoint Lancaster whom he felt lacked the experience for the role.

While support for Woodward returning in a key role is growing, others believe that focusing on England's failings under Lancaster obscures Woodward's own professional setbacks since the 2003 World Cup - including the disastrous 2005 British and Irish Lions tour of New Zealand.

After losing that series 3-0, Woodward is largely viewed within New Zealand rugby circles as massively over-rated with many believing captain Martin Johnson was the true architect of the 2003 Cup success. Back home, he was accused of favouring England players from 2003 and criticised for not letting his staff call New Zealand the All Blacks, expanding the budget to £10million ($NZ30m plus), hiring the controversial Alastair Campbell as press officer and splitting the tour into two camps for mid-week games and Tests.

In his autobiography, famed Scottish and ex-Lions coach Ian McGeechan, said Woodward's actions on the New Zealand tour damaged the Lions brand in the eyes of the Kiwi and international rugby public.

An assistant coach on that tour, he later wrote: "From many standpoints, it was the worst Lions tour ever. The Test series was lost 3-0 and, frankly, we were humiliated. We did not make ourselves very popular in New Zealand and the 48-18 defeat by the All Blacks in the second Test in Wellington was one of the lowest points in Lions history. It was very difficult to take.

"Cards kept arriving in the post to motivate us - 'They'll be ready, will you?' was one of many motivational messages. It helped build excitement but I longed for the equivalent of the boot-room chat.

"I kept asking Clive when we were going to talk rugby, when we were going to sit down and say: 'This is how we are going to beat the All Blacks.' I believe that we should have presented that view early on and then incorporated it into everything we did. But we never had that continuity and that was a major drawback. Clive admitted he was not comfortable speaking to the players.

"On the journey home I realised the Lions had substantial ground to cover to be treasured and respected again."

Hayward told his Telegraph readers that Woodward's "swashbuckling style has created enemies inside the English RFU".

"Like Sir Alf Ramsey, he wears the permanent glow of a World Cup winning coach.

England's 2003 side were a marvel of planning, character and big-game talent, for which Woodward earned much of the praise. But his career since has featured a series of false starts and disappointments which, his opponents will argue, undermine his credentials as England's only viable saviour," Hayward wrote.

Woodward resigned in September 2004 after England's lost five of their eight tests after their Cup success.

Hayward said "resentment was stirred inside the RFU by Woodward's fierce determination to pin the blame for England's slide on the governing body".

In 2006, Thomas tried to bring Woodward back as performance director, but claims England's chief executive at that time, Francis Baron, decided: "I can't work with him [Woodward]." Rob Andrew was appointed instead. Woodward was again a candidate in 2011 but withdrew after claiming he was being "stitched up." This time John Steele lost his job as chief executive.

Woodward has been a columnist during the current World Cup for London's Daily Mail newspaper and in a recent column wrote: "When the RFU asked me to apply for the director of rugby role in the past, I have always put myself forward. This has happened on three separate occasions but, on each one, it has felt a complete waste of time.

"Substantial changes to the job description were made at the last moment, the goalposts were shifted, there were changes in the personnel co-ordinating the process and appointments cancelled on the day of the interview. On the last occasion I pulled out because it became apparent I was being stitched up and only used for another individual's political advantage. I would not be willing to go through such a process again."

But as Hayward wrote "nobody around the England set-up believes that is Woodward's last word".

Woodward also recently wrote: "Over four years in 11 games against the southern hemisphere, England have won three and they have not won the Six Nations since Martin Johnson's side took the title in 2011. They are currently ranked eighth in the world. Can we really consider this progress?"

But as Hayward countered: "For his supporters' prayers to be answered, a veil would have to be drawn over Woodward's Lions tour, his bizarre stint at Southampton football club and his sometimes frustrating spell at the British Olympic Association".

"If rugby is to be torn asunder by yet another power struggle, the depiction of Woodward as an exiled Messiah will require more cross-examination than his most fervent supporters would allow. The next part for England may not be nice, but it has to be honest and fair."