Woodward keen to stage Lions training days

CLIVE WOODWARD will seek to raise the contentious issue of international training days with the home nations in a bid to ensure the Lions head on their journey to New Zealand as the best prepared squad ever to leave these shores.

The issue of player control and player access was central to Woodward's decision to stand down as England coach because he felt the Rugby Football Union had failed to build on the World Cup success.

The agreement over training days between the RFU and the Zurich Premiership clubs had played a huge role in England's victory, but a frustrated Woodward felt the process had moved backwards, to the detriment of the national team.

Now, with his England days behind him, Woodward needs to develop a new strategy to form a winning side from the "power of four countries" in just 12 months.

That will mean more regular contact with clubs, trips to training sessions with the home nations, and even stints with Italy and France as they prepare to play New Zealand in the autumn.

The process will be different to what he put in place with England, but the goal remains the same for his squad to fly out with "no excuses" and win, he says.

"What has happened to me England-wise has helped with the Lions because I can now get a clear run at it," Woodward told the Press Association.

"The last seven years has given me huge experience and now it is about condensing all that experience into 12 months with a group of new players.

"Lions training days are something I will have to look at. I am not saying we can, but I am going to try and get some time with the key players.

"It's not only training, it's calls, moves, communication. The important thing is that I get out there and meet players, not so much watch them play but make them understand what I believe needs to happen between now and next June for us to win.

"I have to make sure the attitude England took into the World Cup is the same with the Lions that there are no excuses, we are there to win.

"I will definitely be the best-prepared Lions coach ever. I have time now to go round to some of their training sessions, work with Mike Ruddock, Eddie O'Sullivan and Matt Williams. Just go to training sessions and say: 'Can I just have 10 minutes?'

"If the Lions are all shaking hands, meeting up for the first time at the end of May, it's going to be very difficult when you are up against an experienced Test team like New Zealand."

A Scotland Rugby Union spokesman confirmed today they would require a formal approach before any decision could be made on access and training days, while the Welsh Rugby Union had "no objection and would love to co-operate as much as possible."

Premier Rugby, the English clubs' umbrella body, are still in negotiations with the Lions over the issue, but they have already brought forward the Zurich Grand Final by two weeks.

Woodward's whole ethos as a coach is about preparation and it forms the basis of his new book, 'Winning!', which analyses the science behind the success.

His coaching team in New Zealand will include Andy Robinson and Phil Larder of England, Ireland's Eddie O'Sullivan and Scotland's Ian McGeechan the most successful Lions head coach ever.

Woodward has developed his own definition of winning, which is about producing the ultimate performance on the biggest stage of all, and he holds up the Olympic gold-medal triumphs of Kelly Holmes and Matthew Pinsent as examples of that.

England's World Cup success is another and now his next challenge, the Lions, represents to Woodward "the definition of winning."