Product Description

Winning! tells the story of the remarkable past six years - an unforgettable journey that began in September 1997 and took the team from the lower ranks of international first-class rugby to the top as World Cup Champions. Sir Clive Woodward and his team mounted a campaign of vast change, great learning, team building and clear vision to achieve their aim. 'We would question everything, change anything and leave no stone unturned,' he writes. WINNING! will talk about the team's journey of innovation and discovery and will reveal exactly how it happened, the fundamentals of their success and how these principles can be applied to any human endeavour. 'We changed the way we coached, the way we played and, of equal importance, how we operated off the field.' Bringing his business management skills to the game, Woodward simplified the entire approach to the structure of the team and created new management systems both on and off the pitch.

In an anecdotal style, Clive Woodward entertains and informs while he describes the thrilling build-up to England's World Cup triumph. (20041106)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #34193 in Books
• Published on: 2005-06-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 496 pages

AMAZON.CO.UK
Clive Woodward was at the helm when English rugby union triumphantly heaved itself from the boozy, pot-bellied mire of amateurism to the top of the professional game at the 2003 World Cup in Australia. And in Winning he makes a robust, cogent and at times brilliant argument for taking the lion's share of the credit. As sports autobiographies go this is an extraordinary book, part personal memoir and part historical revision, of course - Woodward is not backward in correcting his critics or laying bare the politics that shroud top-level sports managers. But what sets it apart is that the former England coach presents a detailed analysis of the man-management and coaching theories that underpinned the success, in what is effectively a case study in winning. To this end there is an abundance of diagrams, flow charts and 'key rules' which at first glance will have a worryingly familiar look to anyone who's ever sat through a motivational business seminar. They formed the day-to-day intellectual touchstones that were the foundation of the Woodward era, covering the 75 matches between November 1997 and that famous victory in the Telstra Stadium. And in a sporting turn-up akin to Jonny Wilkinson's last-ditch drop-goal that felled the Aussies in Sidney, Woodward takes these unpromising raw ingredients and delivers a genuinely engrossing read: a how-to manual for aspiring coaches and an unique insight for fans. The tone is occasionally bombastic - whatever the veracity of their substance, one or two of the recounted conversations ring about as true as an episode of Acorn Antiques, but somehow it doesn't get in the way. Midway through the book, there's a rather peculiar "Author's note about confidentiality" in which Woodward claims that he will never: "show any player or member of the management in any sort of bad light". Not fashionable and frankly not much fun, but arguably entirely in keeping with the Winning philosophy . And you can't argue with results, can you?--Alex Hankin

Daily Express
'Very different to pretty much any sporting autobiography on the market… Fascinating.'

Review
'His first day in the job of England coach is superbly described, and thereafter he is forever going the extra yard to make his team great.' (The Sunday Times )

'There is much more to the man than single-minded determination.' (Sunday Telegraph )

'To the hardened rugby fan, it is incisive and required reading. To anyone involved in sports coaching or administration, regardless of the sport or level of competition, 'Winning!' is essential reading.' (Yorkshire Post )

'Very different to pretty much any sporting autobiography on the market... Fascinating.' (Daily Express )

'Entertaining and informative.' (The Sun )

'The best feature of the book is that the essential Woodward comes through so strongly.' (The Sunday Times sports books of the year )

Customer Reviews

Still worth reading, despite the Lions debacle
Since the Lions tour, Woodward's stock has plummeted, so is this guide to elite management still worth reading?
I would say, Yes, and you can actually begin to see why his approach worked with England and not with the Lions.
The basic thesis is that English rugby for decades could not think 'outside the box' and, with his business background, Woodward helped them to do this. That, combined with a relentlesss commitment to innovation, means that England were given every chance of winning the 2003 World Cup.
It's written for the cross-over business/ sports market, but is pretty accessible even if you have little interest in the other of these two areas. As a result, there's less player assessment than a rugby fan might hope for (though, reading between the lines, there are a few titbits: Woodward feels Phil de Glanville and maybe even Jeremy Guscott (hard to be sure on this), for example, held back the team.)
What's impressive about Woodward is his drive to try any route (eye coaching, training with the marines, redecorating the changing rooms) to give England the edge and his commitment to innovating, rather than just simply copying what the All Blacks were doing. A good example is changing shirts at half-time. It's still, let's face it, a pretty wacky idea, but it not only worked, but has been copied across the world.
He is also prepared to rethink the whole sport: instead of 'backs' and 'forwards', the game should be divided into 'attack' and 'defence'. And why not get a specialist kicking coach?
It's obvious now, but it wasn't before Woodward. And I would be very interested to see how he gets on in football (which he reveals is his first and true love). I feel certain he would get a specialist 'heading' coach, a 'taking penalties' coach, a 'corners' coach etc. And, frankly, I bet football teams would benefit as a result. Football's got all this money: why on earth aren't they doing this kind of coaching?
The key thing is, his approach takes time, so it will work in a football club, but not with an international team, unless they change the structure of the game.
It's noteworthy how much England cricket has learnt from the way Woodward structured the rugby team, and we seem to be getting the benefits of that now.
Woodward is far from perfect. He's a bit zealous in proclaiming the usefulness of some of his odder innovations, but at least he tries things out. And he was a crucial part in getting England to win the World Cup in 2003.
A very good book, that has made me think about what I could do consistently to improve my own performance at work, as well as leaving me with the warm glow of reliving the World Cup triumph.

Inspiring and informative
Winning! is an unusual combination. It functions as a biography of Woodward, a history of the English rugby team's World Cup campaign and an analysis of management mehods used by the author in both in his business and coaching careers.

There is such a lot of material here that interest never wanes. I enjoyed the description of Woodward's early life and he doesn't pull his shots when it comes to the horrors of being denied football (his first love) whilst attending boarding school. He comes across as a much more likeable, humorous and maverick character than I had supposed.

Overall it's well-written and clearly structured. Woodward doesn't mind poking fun at himself and his very English love of tea, golf and Radio 4. A few dozen well-chosen colour photos add interest and stir memories of the historic victory.

There are some jarring notes. Woodward repeats a couple of phrases to the point of tedium: "He is on record as saying..." certainly got on my nerves and he devotes a whole page to a stilted poem sent in by a fan. Also some of the organisational charts he uses to illustrate his management thinking are a bit simple-minded to say the least.

Overall though this was an inspirational and entertaining read. Die-hard rugby fans may not learn much that's new to them but I'd go as far as saying it's about the best sports book I've read since It's Not about the Bike.

Excellent read - could not put it down!
As a Springbok supporter, Clive Woodward and his team have often been subject to much vitriol from yours truely in the "heat of battle"! However, putting allegiances aside, I decided to buy Woodward's book and was pleasantly surprised by it. Not only is it highly entertaining and easy to read but contains a lot of insightful information on the philospohies and techniques that moulded England into a winning team. Many of Woodward's successful methods are generic enough to be applied to any team, be they in sport or in business. I think this book is a must read not only for the rugby enthusiast but also for anyone interested in the areas of individual or team performance, motivation and leadership.