Woodward learns lesson of 2001 failures Down Under
Graham Henry, the former Wales and current New Zealand coach, presided over a 2-1 series defeat by the Wallabies three years ago in a tour marred by off-field controversy which almost resulted in Matt Dawson being sent home early.
Dawson and England colleague Austin Healey broke ranks to slam Henry’s management style in their respective newspaper columns, while many of those players not involved in the Test matches later revealed they endured a miserable time in Australia.
Even members of the Test line-up were unhappy with the gruelling schedule which forced Henry to field a patched-up side for the series decider at Stadium Australia, a match the Wallabies edged 29-23.
Woodward - overlooked for the job in 2001 in favour of Henry, the first foreigner to coach the Lions - was in Australia for the Tests and, upon meeting several of his England contingent, he soon learnt of their disillusionment. In particular, Ben Cohen and Iain Balshaw, stars of the Six Nations little over two months earlier, had shrunk to shadows of their former selves after realising they had never entered Henry’s Test plans.
The end-of-tour report from Australia - usually penned by the outgoing manager which was Donal Lenihan in 2001 - has also supplied the new Lions coach with a few pointers.
“The whole idea is to go to New Zealand and win the Test series - that’s the priority. We looked at what happened in 2001 when we had the strongest group of players to leave these shores but still lost to a weak Wallabies side,” he said.
“We must go there with top players in prime condition. This is a one-off opportunity like the World Cup. Winning Lions go down in history and they have one chance of making it.
“In 2001 they left with superstars like Martin Johnson, Brian O’Driscoll and Keith Wood and yet they lost. I think that’s because they got it wrong off the field.”
The greatest challenge facing Woodward is to prevent the squad from splintering into two factions - the Test line-up and those players who have little hope of competing outside of the midweek fixtures.
A disgruntled group of “dirt-trackers” - the name given to the second-string - can have a destabilising effect as Henry discovered to his cost, while squad harmony - as seen against the Springboks in 1997 - can only be beneficial. To avoid any disenchantment, Woodward has vowed that all tourists will be able to force their way into Test match reckoning and rubbished reports that he would select two distinct parties - one to face the All Blacks and a second to contest the remaining fixtures.
“We will have some world class players in the squad but it’s important we pencil them and don’t ink them in for the Test series. I want to make it absolutely clear there will not be two separate teams.”
However, Woodward warned disappointment is inevitable with only 22 places up for grabs in the Test squad.
“I fully understand the conflict but we have to be adult and grown up about this. Players like Simon Shaw and Joe Worsley did a fantastic job for me during the World Cup, despite their lack of involvement,” he said. “The guys must accept the rules and the fact they might not play in the Tests before they go. If they don’t like that then they shouldn’t come.”
One area of the tour that is to undergo a Woodward revamp is the coaching set-up which will be divided into two sections.
Woodward will head one trio while another group of three will oversee preparation for the midweek games. The Lions boss has already approached the coaches he wants to recruit and will reveal their identity in September.
The Lions will depart for New Zealand on May 25 and will play 10 matches, three of which are the Tests against the All Blacks.
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