Woodward
Clive Woodward is a former England head coach and player who now works as a rugby pundit. Discover his career with RugbyPass, your resident rugby gurus.
Clive Woodward is a former England coach and player who is widely regarded as one of the greatest rugby coaches of all time. In 2003, he was the England head coach as the side won the Rugby World Cup. He currently works as a commentator and pundit. Clive Woodward was inducted into the RugbyPass Hall of Fame in 2021.
Born 6 January 1956, Clive Woodward’s relationship with rugby began when he started to play the sport during his school days. His amateur career then began with Harlequins in 1974, but he left when he attended Loughborough University. After graduating, he played as a centre for Leicester and Manly.
As well as enjoying a stellar domestic career, Clive Woodward was also capped 21 times by England between 1980 and 1984. On top of this, he also went on two British and Irish Lions tours (1980 and 1983), gaining two caps in the process.
After retiring from rugby in 1990, Clive Woodward embarked on a career as a coach. After coaching with Henley, London Irish and Bath, Clive Woodward took up the England job in 1997.
Between 1997 and 2004, Clive Woodward transformed England from an amateur outfit to one of the world’s greatest rugby sides. During this period, he led the side to three Six Nations Championship victories. In 2003, he helped the team capture a Grand Slam at the Six Nations Championship and led the side to victory at the 2003 Rugby World Cup.
Clive Woodward left his role with England in 2004. Following this, he took charge of the British and Irish Lions on their 2005 tour of New Zealand. However, the side lost 3-0 and Woodward’s management style was heavily criticised.
Following his stint with the British and Irish Lions, Clive Woodward left rugby entirely and started working in football with Southampton FC. He then followed this with several roles with the British Olympic Association.
