Sir Clive Woodward has given a “firm no” to joining Wales after he was tipped as an option to take over from Nigel Walker as the Welsh Rugby Union’s new director of rugby. But he has put forward Sam Warburton as an option.
The former England boss said it was “surprising and flattering” to hear his name mentioned in connection with the role, after The Sunday Times’ rugby correspondent Stephen Jones said the WRU should “beg” him to take the job amid a torrid run of results for Warren Gatland’s side.
“It would be excellent to bring in a dynamic specialist coach or two,” Jones had written. “And as I keep saying, to engage Sir Clive Woodward as an adviser, or even a director of rugby, to replace Walker would be the boldest and best move — but Wales is probably still too small-minded a country and too anti-English to dare employ a knight of the English realm. What a shame.”
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However, responding to the links in his MailOnline column, Woodward has said it’s an outright no. He added that while he may have been tempted a decade ago, he now wouldn’t be interested in taking up such a role with Wales or indeed any nation.
But the World Cup-winning coach did suggest a “heavyweight” alternative in Warburton as he stressed the importance of the role and claimed that neither Wales nor England have ever “got it right”. He went on to claim that under-fire executive director of rugby Walker is “completely out of his depth” with the WRU lacking “strong and transparent leadership” as he laid out his suggestions for moving forward.
“I’m sorry to disappoint those over the Severn Bridge,” Woodward wrote as he addressed the links. “The answer is a firm no! I owe [Jones] a drink for putting me forward. However, it’s not a position I’m interested in now for any country. I’ve moved on. It’s one I’d have loved maybe 10 years ago, especially at Twickenham, but not today.
“Neither the RFU nor the WRU have a strong figure with experience of the international game in a senior position working alongside their respective head coaches. In Gatland, Wales have a very, very experienced boss,” he added. “His know-how from being in charge of hundreds of Tests means there is little he hasn’t seen or done. But even a man of Gatland’s calibre needs a strong figure to work alongside, especially at such a difficult time for Welsh rugby.”
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After stressing the importance of strong leadership and contrasting it with the current tenure of the “struggling” Walker, Woodward had one man on his mind for who should take on the job next – former Wales captain Warburton. The ex-Cardiff star is currently a board member at the Arms Park and Woodward believes he could be a prime candidate for the crucial WRU role.
“I think the WRU really should look to bring in a heavyweight character to head up their rugby operation, regardless of whether Gatland stays or not,” he wrote. “I would urge Wales to look at the great Sam Warburton as someone to consider.”
The nod comes after Warburton recently called for a “full review” of Welsh rugby come the end of the autumn campaign. “It’s a three-week campaign,” he said following the defeat to Fiji. “I don’t think you judge on a game, you can judge on a campaign.
“I think when it’s done, you need to go away and have a full review of what’s happening. Speak to key members of staff and players. The board should meet with the full hierarchy of performance staff and then you have a rounded idea of what’s going on.”
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