Woodward's World Cup Regret

Clive Woodward featured in a BBC radio show where he gave a kind of DVD commentary on the match. It's on the iPlayer here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b03hxkhq/5_live_Sport_Woodwards_World_Cup/

Towards the end of the programme, he comments on what happened after the Cup. He points out that the Northern hemisphere season goes on after a tournament, while the Southern hemisphere takes a break (except Australia's penchant for tacking on an EOYT fixture).

He now wishes that he had taken a development side down south in summer 2014 because he thinks his players were too tired. They ended up losing twice to New Zealand and once to Australia (by a crushing 51-15 score). He knows it wouldn't have gone down well to take a squad shorn of top players, especially after presiding over the Tour from Hell, but believes he should have realized they all needed a break after the World Cup had taken so much out of them (England had already lost to Ireland in the Six Nations by then).

There's not much new in the programme, but it's an interesting listen, if mainly so for England fans.

He's said a few things about England recently which might suggest he's critical of the current England set-up, but he says he likes what Lancaster is doing, and only worries that the next Cup might come too soon for his team.

I used to like SCW but he is becoming more and more of a bore every time I see him in the media.

I certainly disagree with him that the World Cup is too soon for England, I actually think that they are going to be in prime form for the World Cup. Youngish team developing very well.