Clive Woodward’s first club was Harlequins but he left to go to Loughborough University where he gained a Bachelor of Science degree in sports science followed by a Postgraduate Certificate in Education. He then played for Leicester from 1979 to 1985. He made his England debut against Ireland on 19 January 1980, as a replacement. And was part of the England team that won the Grand Slam in that season, winning all their games.

He went on to gain 21 caps for his country, playing his last game on 17 March 1984 against Wales. He was a player on the British Lions’ 1980 tour to South Africa and 1983 tour to New Zealand. He was most noted for his centre partnership with fellow Tiger Paul Dodge. Playing for the Barbarians, he also won the Hong Kong Sevens in 1981.

He had the job of transforming the England side from the amateur era into the professional one. Having been beaten in the 1999 Rugby World Cup by South Africa. England under Woodward steadily improved. England were Six Nations champions in 2000 and 2001, and completed the Grand Slam in 2003 with an emphatic 42–6 victory over Ireland in Dublin.

England followed up by defeating the All Blacks in New Zealand for the first time since 1973, holding out for a 15–13 win. A week later reigning world champions Australia were beaten 25–14 in Melbourne, England’s first ever win on Australian soil.

‘There is so much more to the man than single-minded determination.’ Sunday Telegraph

‘His first day in the job of England coach is superbly described, and thereafter he is forever going the extra yard to make his team great.’ Sunday Times

Winning! tells a remarkable story – an unforgettable journey that began in September 1997 and took the English Rugby Team team from the lower ranks of international first-class rugby to the top as World Cup Champions.

Sir Clive Woodward and his team mounted a campaign of vast change, great learning, team building and clear vision to achieve their aim. ‘We would question everything, change anything and leave no stone unturned,’ he writes.

WINNING! will talk about the team’s journey of innovation and discovery and will reveal exactly how it happened, the fundamentals of their success and how these principles can be applied to any human endeavour. ‘We changed the way we coached, the way we played and, of equal importance, how we operated off the field.’ Bringing his business management skills to the game, Woodward simplified the entire approach to the structure of the team and created new management systems both on and off the pitch.

In an anecdotal style, Clive Woodward entertains and informs while he describes the thrilling build-up to England’s World Cup triumph in 2003.

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