When Clive Woodward coached England he tried to cover all bases to the point where his back-up team even included a visual awareness coach. Cut to Wales heading for the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987. They had the visual awareness side of things covered only in the sense that head coach Tony Gray wore glasses.
Woodward knew that nothing could be left to chance if England were to realise their potential. His back-up staff also included goal-kicking guru Dave Alred, acknowledged as one of the best on the planet at what he did; Simon Hardy contributed expertise at the lineouts; Phil Larder looked after the defence, with the visionary Brian Ashton and Andy Robinson acting as the head coach’s frontline assistants.
One pundit at the time said Woodward had gone for gold in bringing together such individuals. The same individual was less than flattering about some of those around Graham Henry 30 months earlier, referring to them brutally as second-raters and nodding dogs. That was harsh because Wales had beaten Argentina, South Africa, England and France in the Henry era. The problem at the time was the club game was in a state, with too many professional clubs and talent and resources spread too thinly.
