England
Woodward hits out at 'corporate' Lancaster
ESPN Staff
November 18, 2013
A reflective Stuart Lancaster after England's defeat to New Zealand © PA Photos
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A week after openly criticising England's coaching set-up, Clive Woodward has laid into coach Stuart Lancaster, accusing him of being "caught up in all the corporate jargon".

Writing in the Daily Mail, he said Lancaster spent too much time talking about things such as pride in the England shirt.

"I played for England 21 times and coached them for more than 80 matches and I have never known an England team lose for want of pride," Woodward wrote. "That bulldog spirit is a bare minimum, the prerequisite of being part of the international set-up.

"The head coach's job is to deliver a set of players who can win a World Cup; pride in the shirt does not even come into the equation. There is a safety-first culture in the set-up and they are simply not taking enough risks, from selection to decision-making on the pitch."

Woodward also took a swipe at the selectors, accusing them of playing safe in picking players from big sides rather than taking risks. "Almost every player is playing for a top team. Would Joel Tomkins have been picked for England if he was playing for Sale or Newcastle?"

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd

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