Clive Woodwards 2003 Olympic podium team.

In an unrelated article about Sam Tompkins, Sir Clive comments on the starting 15 of the WC Final side - And them all being ranked in the best 3 in world rugby in their positions.
He states that -
"In the years that followed, the players' response and dedication to achieving this was inspiring and six years later, in my mind, every player in the team that started the 2003 World Cup final had a place on that Olympic podium. I believe seven were gold medal winners, five were silver and three were bronze."

So, just for a bit of fun - of that WC winning side, who do you think was getting what medal?

That starting 15 -
Josh Lewsey
Jason Robinson
Mike Tindall
Will Greenwood
Ben Cohen
Jonny Wilkinson
Matt Dawson
Lawrence Dallaglio
Neil Back
Richard Hill
Ben Kay
Martin Johnson (c)
Phil Vickery
Steve Thompson
Trevor Woodman

Woodward probably has gold in mind for

Johnson
Wilkinson
Robinson
Hill
Back
Dallaglio
Vickery

Silvers maybe

Greenwood
Woodman
Lewsey
Thompson
Kay

Which leaves bronze as

Tindall
Dawson
Cohen

To be honest, I can't really remember who their international rivals were.

Josh Lewsey
Jason Robinson
Mike Tindall
Will Greenwood
Ben Cohen
Jonny Wilkinson
Matt Dawson
Lawrence Dallaglio
Neil Back
Richard Hill
Ben Kay
Martin Johnson (c)
Phil Vickery
Steve Thompson
Trevor Woodman

I'd probably have Vickery at gold in 2003 (despite a slightly dodgy final) and Thompson at silver, but otherwise I think that's probably about right.

Neil Back in 2003 is tricky. Excellent player, but McCaw, Burger and Smith were knocking around in 2003 were they not, plus the always excellent David Wallace and Martyn Williams. Pretty outstanding group of openside flankers.

The England bench was also very strong in 2003 - having Leonard and Catt in particular was a huge asset.

Sorry - this should have been posted in the international section!

I put Tommo in as gold as thought that he brought something to the position that people hadnt seen before.
A bit, hard scrummaging no.2 that made such an impact around the field but scrummaging against England was scrummaging against 3 props - not 2 props and a hooker.
Other hookers were excellent too - Keith Woods was exceptional but think Tommo had the edge in '03.

Fair point on Neil Back - I had him as silver, but guess he could have been a bronse.

Has Woodward gone a little......................................... off - or mad?

Just enjoy the game Clive.  
Relax.  
You have an obsession that impedes your enjoyment of the game.  

Not everything is about blasted 'Achievement' as it relates to Best'n't'world, medals, cups, medalions, gold, silver, bronze, icing, biggest, strongest, fastest...

...and certainly The Bloody Olympics is certainly NOT needed to contextualise quality in rugby.  We know what quality is and what we like - we don't need five hoops and a gas fire to inform us what they are.

Who is Clive Woodward? Is he that bald guy on "have I got news for you!" Or am I confused? I think I saw the "Woodward in shameless self promotion" topic on the wheel of news.

SecretFly wrote:

...and certainly The Bloody Olympics is certainly NOT needed to contextualise quality in rugby.  We know what quality is and what we like - we don't need five hoops and a gas fire to inform us what they are.

  

Woodward must be really embarassing for a fair amount of english fans. A bit like that drunk uncle at your wedding... But without the excuse of being actually drunk.

whocares wrote:Woodward must be really embarassing for a fair amount of english fans. A bit like that drunk uncle at your wedding... But without the excuse of being actually drunk.

Harsh - but fair - and funny!
  

Yeah

Having said that, Woodward has earned the right to act a bit mental in the media.

2003 is a long tome ago, I can't remeber back that far.

Woodward remembers nothing else.

"Tell us about your childhood, Clive?"

"You of course mean Pre-2003?   Well, it's funny but as a child I had fifteen toys that were very special to me.  They were bigger than my friend's toys - 8 Tractors and 7 Matchbox cars.  
I made sure I used them everyday on the kitchen table to make sure their wheels were always free and smooth in movement.  
I never allowed my cars to be pressed down too hard as that always banjaxed the axles and they'd become wonky - or in other words, non Olympic Podium standard...............

Difficult to know who is most obsessed about 2003...

Yes, he's a bit of a tool. But the classy thing is to ignore it.

Biltong wrote:2003 is a long tome ago, I can't remeber back that far.

And yet here we all are, talking about that thing that happened that none of us remember and didn't matter, and if it did matter it only mattered for a really, really short period of time...and etc etc.   

Hood, it isn't about a WC in 2003 or the players who played in the team that won it.

It's a little fun about a man who seems fated to do a groundhog day on that year for the rest of his life. He's trapped by it.

SecretFly wrote:Hood, it isn't about a WC in 2003 or the players who played in the team that won it.  

It's a little fun about a man who seems fated to do a groundhog day on that year for the rest of his life.  He's trapped by it.

I know, I'm just pulling your p@nis Secret.   

That said, I am surprised he didn't make more of a meal of his Olympics success - perhaps this is it, he has worked out how to conflate the two experiences in an endless repetition.

They need to separate the inverdale and SCW double act on bbc coverage. As soon as the camera rolls you can see inverdale swooning and his little mind ticking over as to how best to mention Jonny wilkinson and get Clive talking about 2003 again.

As the camera pans away to the other reluctant pundits,( edging away, looking on in horror, like an old Aunty who stumbles upon the bride and groom having a quicky in the champagne cellar)and back I swear inverdale keeps edging his chair closer and closer to Clive.

There's something letcherous in the way he grins up at Clive and tilts his head like a besotted teenager.

Eeeech! Make it end!

GloriousEmpire wrote:They need to separate the inverdale and SCW double act on bbc coverage. As soon as the camera rolls you can see inverdale swooning and his little mind ticking over as to how best to mention Jonny wilkinson and get Clive talking about 2003 again.

As the camera pans away to the other reluctant pundits,( edging away, looking on in horror, like an old Aunty who stumbles upon the bride and groom having a quicky in the champagne cellar)and back I swear inverdale keeps edging his chair closer and closer to Clive.

There's something letcherous in the way he grins up at Clive and tilts his head like a besotted teenager.

Eeeech! Make it end!

Inverdale is horrendous, his smugness genuinely makes me want to vomit. Also, his bias is absolutely ridiculous. As an Englishman there is nothing more excruciating than watching him turn every single game into something about England. I think even SCW ticked him off for doing it during the Ireland v ABs game.