Woodward Critical of RFU Panel

England’s 2003 World Cup-winning coach, Sir Clive Woodward, has hit out at the composition of the RFU’s five-man review panel, saying that the chief executive, Ian Ritchie, “should not be allowed anywhere near” it.

Writing for the Daily Mail, Woodward, who many former players believe should have been a part of the group reviewing England’s premature World Cup exit, suggested the Guardian columnist Dean Ryan ought to have been considered before those named by the RFU.

“As a stakeholder in the shirt, I was staggered,” wrote Woodward of the make-up of the panel. “Ritchie has overseen England’s worst World Cup ever and over the last four years has got far too close to the team for a man with zero rugby experience or knowledge, culminating in awarding six-year contracts to [Stuart] Lancaster and his coaching team.

“He should not be allowed anywhere near the review, let alone leading it and choosing the panel. There is a total conflict of interest. Three of the five people on the panel have no experience in international rugby. There is no input or representation from the 12 Premiership clubs.

“Ben Kay is an entirely suitable member of the review but elsewhere I would have asked Worcester director of rugby Dean Ryan to represent the clubs and [Dave] Reddin to analyse the conditioning programme. Like Kay, Lawrence Dallaglio and Will Greenwood would be great candidates.”

Woodward also refused to offer his support to Lancaster in the article, saying that comparisons with his own failure at the 1999 World Cup were “wide of the mark” as he had been in the job for only a year at the time, not four as the embattled England coach has been.

The 59-year-old also dismissed suggestions that the RFU and England must emulate New Zealand if they are to be successful.

“I felt England’s conditioning was markedly inferior at this World Cup to some of the other home nations, let alone New Zealand,” he said.

“It must never be about trying to slavishly copy New Zealand. Otherwise we might as well create our own haka — it will be about as much use. What works for them, will not necessarily work for us, and by the time we do it as well as them, they will be on to the next thing.

“When Australia beat England, they were playing like Australia should.”

Related articles

• Rugby World Cup 2015 kicks off: Watch England v Fiji live on ITV
• Rugby World Cup 2015: Your guide to catching all the matches on TV and radio
• Pomp and ceremony marks the start of the World Cup, but now we're ready to cheer on Wales
• When is the Rugby World Cup opening ceremony? Everything you need to about the event
• Sir Clive Woodward visits Smallest Rugby Club World Cup and looks ahead to England v Wales
• Rugby World Cup bingo: 40 things that will definitely happen

Kearney named ERC Player of the Year

The prestigious award crowns an outstanding season for the full-back who started every one of Leinster's nine European games as the Irish club triumphed in the Heineken Cup for an unprecedented third time in four years. Kearney succeeds teammate, Sean O'Brien, as the winner of northern hemisphere rugby's ultimate individual accolade.

The 26-year-old scored six tries during the campaign and pushed himself into contention for the honour with a series of high-quality displays in the tournament's pool and knockout stages.

Kearney scored two tries in the quarter-final victory over the Cardiff Blues, then followed that up by creating a try for Cian Healy and landing a superb drop goal in the thrilling semi-final success against ASM Clermont Auvergne, before playing a key role in Leinster's record-breaking 42-14 final win over Ulster Rugby at Twickenham Stadium last Saturday.

Kearney was presented with his award, a specially struck gold medal, by ERC Chief Executive, Derek McGrath, at a ceremony in ERC offices in Dublin today (Monday, 21 May 2012).

"Rob was both rock-solid in defence and inspirational in attack during what was another magnificent Heineken Cup campaign for our 2012 champions, Leinster," said McGrath. "He scored six tries, ran powerfully, kicked superbly and the sheer all-round quality of his performances made him an excellent choice as ERC European Player of the Year 2012."

"It really is an honour to have won this award," said Kearney. "While I am delighted with the recognition, an individual player is powerless without the support of his teammates. So I owe this to the Leinster squad, to the management and to all the backroom staff at the club."

The search for the best player from the 44 clubs in ERC's two tournaments, the Heineken Cup and the Amlin Challenge Cup, was undertaken by a Judging Panel which comprised of:

Stuart Barnes (Sky Sports), Raphael Ibanez (2011/12 Heineken Cup Ambassador), Stephen Jones (Rugby Correspondent, The Sunday Times), Emmanuel Massicard (Editor, Midi Olympique) and Gerry Thornley (Rugby Correspondent, The Irish Times).

The expert panel was presented with a longlist at the conclusion of the pool stages in both tournaments, and after the quarter-finals and semi-finals, that list was pared down to the following five players:

• Stephen Ferris (Back-row, Ulster Rugby)

• Rob Kearney (Full-back, Leinster Rugby)

• Ruan Pienaar (Scrum-half, Ulster Rugby)

• Jonathan Sexton (Out-half, Leinster Rugby)

• Jonny Wilkinson (Out-half, RC Toulon)

The shortlist was also forwarded to the 44 clubs, and their recommendations, as well as those of European club rugby supporters who voted on Twitter @ercrugby and on the tournaments' Facebook pages, were factored into the deliberations of the panel which reconvened in London, host city for the two European finals, to complete the selection process. The winner was then confirmed after the finals.

In 2010, ERC launched the highly-acclaimed ERC15 Awards, recognising the efforts of a number of outstanding contributors to the first decade and a half of European club rugby competition. Two-time Heineken Cup winner, Ronan O'Gara (Munster Rugby), was the inaugural recipient of the ERC European Player honour as the best player over the first 15 years of the two tournaments, and last year, Sean O'Brien (Leinster Rugby), was voted ERC European Player of the Year 2011.

FACTFILE

Born: 26 March 1986, Dundalk, County Louth

Height: 1.85m / 6'1"

Weight: 95kg / 14st 13lbs

School: Clongowes Wood College

Province: Leinster Rugby

Club: University College Dublin

Heineken Cup appearances: 43

Ireland caps: 38

British & Irish Lions tests: 3 (v South Africa, 2009)

Toulon in Final after Jonny Drops

Jonny Wilkinson slotted over a last minute drop goal to take Toulon into the Amlin Challenge Cup final after a thrilling all-French showdown.

The former England fly-half scored 27 points in total to add to Steffon Armitage's first-minute try, as Toulon beat Stade Francais 32-29.

Stade Francais led for most of the first half and edged ahead once more on the hour, and Wilkinson needed four attempts in the closing stages to kick the winning points.

Toulon took the lead through Armitage's superb score and they almost had another inside four minutes following more good work by the flanker, only for scrum-half Sebastien Tillous-Borde to drop the ball as he tried to offload from a tackle.

But poor tackling let Morgan Turinui through to set up full-back Hugo Bonneval for a converted score in the 12th minute which nudged Stade ahead.

Fly-half Jules Plisson kicked two penalties and a drop goal to extend the visitors' lead to 16-5 but Wilkinson was on target with penalties in the 32nd and 40th minutes, either side of Plisson's third, to leave the half-time score at 19-11 to Stade.

Wilkinson took his side into the lead with three penalties and a drop goal in the first 15 minutes of the second half but Turinui rounded off a wonderful passing move from the base of a scrum to restore the visitors' advantage, Plisson adding the extras to make it 26-23.

Two Wilkinson penalties countered by a Plisson drop goal left the scores level at 29-29 going into the final 10 minutes - but with Stade winger Julien Arias in the sin-bin for cynically preventing a try after Plisson's kick was charged down.

Wilkinson missed the resulting penalty and then a drop-goal attempt before remarkably putting a 30-metre effort wide from a central position - but he kicked the crucial drop goal from just over 40 metres a minute from time to ensure his side will face Biarritz or Brive in May 18's final.

Join OSM news service

Jonny Steps Off International Stage

England fly-half Jonny Wilkinson has retired from international rugby.

The 32-year-old won 91 England caps, kicked the winning drop-goal in the 2003 World Cup final and played six Tests for the British and Irish Lions.

"I would like to take this opportunity to announce my retirement from international rugby," said Wilkinson.

"To do so fills me with great sadness, but I know I have been blessed in so many ways to have experienced what I have with the England rugby team."

Despite a career plagued by injury, Wilkinson is England's all-time leading scorer with 1,179 points.

The Toulon back is second on the all-time lists with 1,246 Test points, placing him just behind New Zealand's Dan Carter.

Wilkinson's record for his country includes six tries, 162 conversions, 239 penalties and a record 36 drop-goals. His total of 277 points at World Cups is 50 more than any other player.

"To say I have played through four World Cups, two Lions tours, 91 international games and a ridiculous number of injuries and other setbacks gives me an incredibly special feeling of fulfilment," he stated.

"But by now I know myself well enough to know that I will never truly be satisfied. It goes without saying that I would like to wish Stuart Lancaster, his coaches and the England Squad every bit of success available to them.

"I would also very much like to extend those wishes to Martin Johnson, Brian Smith, Mike Ford, John Wells, Graham Rowntree and the rest of the England 2011 World cup management team who have been fantastic and deserve people to know that.

"For me now, I will continue to focus ever harder on my goal of being the very best I can be with Toulon Rugby Club and continue to embrace and enjoy wherever that path takes me."

Lancaster, who has been appointed as England's interim head coach for the Six Nations, paid a glowing tribute to Wilkinson.

"Jonny has had a fantastic international career which has spanned four World Cups and 91 caps, and ranks as one of England's greatest ever players," he commented.

"He will, of course, be remembered for that drop-goal. But he is more than that, a model sportsman - down to earth and hard-working - who has never stopped trying to be the best that he can.

"Everyone who has played with, coached and watched Jonny play should feel privileged to have had an involvement with him.

"Not only has he been a world-class player, but he has inspired thousands to play and watch the game of rugby.

Lewis Moody, who played alongside Wilkinson in the World Cup-winning team and only announced his own retirement from England duty in October, said: "I'm humbled to have played alongside him.

"I'm saddened but his contribution over the years, his work ethic, professionalism and commitment, has been immense. He put everything into what he did. It was incredible to watch him train and perform.

"The fact he missed four years of international rugby but still amassed 97 caps is unimaginable. It's a real shame he's decided to retire but what he's given to the sport, and a generation, is immense."

Former England centre and BBC pundit Jeremy Guscott told BBC Sport: "He was world class, the best in his position, and when he dropped that goal to win the World Cup for England he became immortalised.

"His performances were never less than the best he could deliver, he was a very talented player and England were fortunate to have him."