England won’t regret saddling up with Matt Parker

Matt Parker will have no problem in transferring his cycling success to the rugby field, according to one of his key associates.
Parker, one of the brains behind British cycling success in the Olympics, is set to take up the position of head of athletic performance within England rugby  in the New Year.
He will work with the team until they host the 2015 World Cup as Stuart Lancaster strengthens his backroom staff.
Rod Ellingworth,  Great Britain road race manager, under whom Mark Cavendish developed into a world champion and multi Tour de France stage winner, said: “Matt’s background is from football, he was new to cycling when he came to us so he didn’t try to take on the technical stuff.
“I think the fact that he came in from outside the sport was a big advantage. I think it’s a good practice to have someone who comes in with a fresh view. Matt certainly did that for us.
“The work he does isn’t necessarily specific to cycling so I don’t see why he couldn’t adapt to rugby.”

Parker had a six-year association with British Cycling, overseeing Bradley Wiggins’ transformation from Olympic gold medallist to Tour de France champion before heading up the infamous ‘marginal gains’ department – instrumental behind Britain’s eight cycling gold medals at London 2012.
Reminiscent of Sir Clive Woodward’s ‘one percent’ theory, marginal gains involves looking at everything in minute detail to make tiny improvements across the board.
Ellingworth said: “Matt’s greatest strength was keeping things simple. He is a thinker rather than a worker so he will take a problem away and find a solution.
“With the marginal gains he would look at everything in great depth and find little ways to improve all of it.
“Over the years he’s gone right through the spectrum with us, from lab rat doing all the physical testing to coach to the head of the marginal gains department.
“What would happen is that the coaches would come to him and say they had a problem, he would go away and then come back with the solution.
“It could be something six months out from the Olympics to hours before the finals.”
The appointment appears to be the first move in a long-term plan for Lancaster and his coaches and Ellingworth explained that when Parker took on a new project he was in it for the long haul.
He said: “It’s probably the right time for him to move on so I’m not surprised that he’s made the decision. Having worked very hard leading into the Olympics I was expecting him to look elsewhere.
“He’s someone who will see things through until the end so he’s very good at seeing the bigger picture.”
While Parker’s stature within cycling could not be higher, he remains an unknown quantity in rugby.
But former Bath and England lock Nigel Redman spent time with Parker when the two worked together for UK Sport and he is in no doubt over the impact the RFU‘s latest acquisition will have.
He said: “I think he will be outstanding for rugby in general. He comes from an environment where the performance comes first.
“He’s worked in a hugely successful team with British Cycling, but what’s most impressive is that it’s not just one athlete doing well but a whole conveyor belt.
“That shows the system is working.
“I see no reason why he can’t be just as successful in rugby. He’s brilliant at cutting through the bull****.
“He asks great questions and challenges people with them so that they really have to think about what they are doing.”
PAUL EDDISON