Clive Woodward 'astonished' England are not favourites for Argentina clash
Rugby World Cup-winning head coach Sir Clive Woodwards believes that the odds for this weekend’s clash displays ‘how far England have fallen’.
This weekend’s opponents, Argentina, are very slight favourites for their opening Rugby World Cup encounter, according to the bookmakers.
It is arguably the most difficult game to predict, which in itself shows to Woodward the issues that Steve Borthwick’s men are currently facing.
Dropping down the world rankings
“For England to be underdogs against the Pumas is astonishing and shows just how far we have fallen. England go into this World Cup ranked eighth in the world, below Argentina, Fiji and Scotland. That’s not good enough for a country like ours,” he wrote in his Daily Mail column.
“Despite a string of poor performances, little clarity over selection and a severe lack of confidence, I still believe England can reach the semi-finals. Argentina, Japan, Fiji, Wales and Australia are realistically their biggest obstacles to reaching that stage.
“What concerns me is, regardless of England’s performance at the World Cup, rugby in this country is on the precipice.
“If you had told me 20 years ago England would be going into 2023 having still only won one World Cup, I would never have believed you.
“You could question the players and coaches over the years. Or you could look at the suits in charge. For me, it is obvious where the fault lines are.”
Although Woodward has slammed the direction England have been heading in, the former boss insists that all is not lost.
“England may go into this World Cup in a mess, but I refuse to believe that they are out of contention,” he added.
“We are set for the most extraordinary World Cup ever and England are more than capable of creating upsets. Beating Argentina in the first pool game would be exactly that.”
It is not just the men’s national team which is struggling but pretty much the whole game in England.
Only the women’s side has enjoyed success recently and Woodward has very much pointed the finger in one direction.
Blame laid at governing body’s door
“Who at the RFU will take responsibility for this? Every key metric is going the wrong way. Fans may still pour into Twickenham on a Six Nations weekend, but it is foolish to assume this will always continue,” he wrote.
“The crowd for the Fiji game was poor and that must concern the RFU.
“I hate looking at other teams for answers. But it is staring the English game in the face, particularly with the World Cup about to start.
“French rugby shows how far England have fallen behind. In England, we have been stuck with orthodox thinking for too long. France’s TOP14 has taken a global view and reaped the rewards. They have packed stadiums week in, week out.
“They pay their players handsomely and the fans are rewarded with superb rugby. It is no wonder England’s stars want to play and coach in France. I would.
“At international level, France are blockbuster. They have assembled a coaching team who are as focused as they are talented.
“Most galling of all is that at the heart of it is Shaun Edwards, one of England’s most successful coaches. How could the RFU have let that happen? The answer is very simple.”
