Woodward Looking For A Second RWC Title.

England coach Clive Woodward has said that his ambition after guiding the Lions on the tour next summer is to steer England to a second World Cup in 2007.

England coach Clive Woodward has said that his ambition after guiding the Lions on the tour next summer is to steer England to a second World Cup in 2007.
No team has yet retained the trophy but the England coach said his
side could and that he still had a burning desire to carry on.
“It is going to be difficult but that is the challenge,
that’s what we are
striving to do,” said Woodward, coach of next year’s British and
Irish Lions
tour to New Zealand.

“We now have to improve in almost everything we do,” the
former England and
Lions centre added.

Woodward revealed he had other job offers since Jonny Wilkinson’s
drop-goal
gave England a dramatic extra-time final victory against Australia in
Sydney
in November.,p>
However, he insisted: “I love this job. It would have been
easy to go and
do motivational talks and maybe move on to another sport but I still
think I
am a young coach (48) who can give something to improving this
England team.
When you have the passion for it you have to carry on.

“To see if we can reproduce it and go to another tournament
and win it
again is something I would like to do.”

Woodward was in London to receive funding body Sport England’s
2003 Coach
of the Year Award and the team of the year award from the AIPS, the
international association of sports writers on his side’s behalf.

He added that what pleased him most was not so much winning the
World Cup
as the way his squad geared up for the tournament.
“I am probably more proud of arriving as the best-prepared
team and the
number one team in the world than actually winning it because that
reflected
what we had built over two, three and four years.”

England are set for a gruelling post northern season tour of New
Zealand
and Australia having lost their Six Nations crown during a tournament
where
they were beaten by both Ireland and France.
“We were disappointed with what happened (in the Six Nations)
but it was
pretty predictable.”

Looking ahead to the southern hemisphere tour, Woodward said:
“It will be
very tough. It’s the end of a long season but we are looking forward
to it.
The reason we won the World Cup is because we have relished going
head to head
with southern hemisphere teams.

“We have beaten the southern hemisphere teams 12 games in a
row, home and
away, and it’s my job now to keep that momentum going. We are at our
best when
we play these sides and I just hope we will have everyone fit.”

And Woodward insisted he would not risk ace goalkicker Wilkinson’s
fitness.
The Newcastle stand-off missed the whole Six Nations following
shoulder
surgery and has still to return to top-flight rugby.
“I’m just leaving it up to him,” said Woodward. “If
he is 100 percent fit I
will take him. If he isn’t I will not take him and we will look
forward to
having him back in the side for the autumn.

“Australia and New Zealand are not the places to take anyone
who is not
fully fit, not even someone who is 99 percent fit.”

AFP – 2004.