Clive Woodward: “I heard some shouts of “Boring, boring” last night, but it wasn’t coming from my wife in bed next to me.”
That’s how the England coach opened his last press conference before tomorrow’s World Cup Final against Australia.
Bright, cheerful, laugh-a-minute. The “boring-boring” comment came in reply to a question concerning a local paper in Sydney suggesting Wallabies fans should make a noise outside England’s Manly Pacific Hotel.
Woodward managed to turn that, and several other barbed questions, into harmless banter. He deflected difficult questions, made light of stress levels and his pre-final attitude is summed up by this quote: “I just can’t believe we’ve got to this point and I’ve got my best side available. I can honestly say I couldn’t have picked a better side than this.”
But he wouldn’t accept that the final constitutes the greatest day of his life. He grinned: “I’ve had a great life, full of highs and lows. This is a big game of rugby, but it’s only a game. World Cups come and go.”
England stand to win a bonus of £1.3m, which could be distributed as £43 000 each or graded on performance or appearances.
But Woodward growls: “You don’t win World Cups with cheque books. We have prepared as well as we can for this game.
“I believe we can win. When I sit down in the coaches’ box (which Woodward has already publicly slammed) we will all tell eachother to be calm. To focus and make all the right decisions.
“About a minute later, we all go mad!”
Woodward said the arrival of something like 30 000 England fans had left him speechless.
“I can’t find the words. They have been brilliant. The lads have coped well with all the attention. They sign autographs and pose for pictures.
“It will be great to see all the white shirts in the stadium. We are aware of all the support back home too. We’ve had messages from Eddie O’Sullivan, the Irish coach, and from the Welsh camp, wishing us all the best.
“I’m sure the Scottish message is in the post!”