Finally, Twickenham gets around to succession planning

It has been a long road from Woodward’s rant to joined-up thinking, writes Mick Cleary

It was 14 years ago that Sir Clive Woodward stood in the same room at Twickenham where Eddie Jones’s contract extension was formally announced and let rip with a volley of criticism that left many in the Rugby Football Union pockmarked from the verbal shots.

No planning, no foresight, no long-term view, no commitment, was the gist of Woodward’s critique. From rancour to harmony, from ad hoc to strategic vision, from a splintered regime fighting fires on the political front to a joined-up union with a plan.

From 2004 to 2018, a drawn-out, cobbled-together journey if ever there was one. There are still misgivings about the detail in Jones’s extension, such as what happens if the new man does not want to be babysat by Jones for 18 months, or what constitutes a performance-related break-clause should it all go belly-up at the 2019 Rugby World Cup. But for the first time in the professional era, the RFU has an idea of what it wants the succession to look like.

It was chaos after Woodward stomped away in 2004. The RFU had put all its efforts into helping win the World Cup in 2003. And precisely zero thought into what might come afterwards. It has been the same scenario ever since.

This time, there is a sense of clarity and decisiveness, a mood that has the added benefit of permeating through to the England squad. Future realities – is the next coach to be an international trainee feeling his way or a heavy-hitter drafted to do as Jones has done – are for another day. What did come across is that Steve Brown, the RFU chief executive, will make it work. “There are no strict barriers,” is how he put it.

The RFU has taken the right first step. It has bought itself breathing space. Neither it, nor Jones, nor the team wanted the distraction of potential candidates to take over post the World Cup doing the rounds for the next 18 months.

It makes perfect sense for Jones to put his retirement plans for cricket and rum and coke in the Caribbean on hold. The 57-year-old would surely have had plenty of consultancy offers if he had walked away in 2019, but such is his relentless nature that being removed from the sharp end is quite a fix to give up easily. And he is now in the mix for the 2021 Lions tour to South Africa.

It was put to Jones his “abrasive” style might be suited to being in situ only for short-term (four years) periods. Jones did not commit to an answer. The only thing that matters about his reputation for being a hard taskmaster is that the England players love the environment. They feed off Jones’s energy and workaholism. They may live in the moment, mindful that they could be dropped the following week, but this contract news will be a boost for them.

Woodward’s invective made for splendid theatre on the day. More’s the pity that it has taken 14 years for someone to take proper notice. New Zealand have been doing succession planning for generations. England, finally, have got in on the act.

It was chaos after Woodward left in 2004. This time, there is clarity and decisiveness