RFU must learn from Olympic gold rush
THE Paris Olympics should have rammed home an urgent reminder to the RFU that English rugby has to invest in an equivalent of the World Class Programme that has underpinned the significant increase in the number of Olympic medals – especially gold – at the last five games.
The World Class Programme was first introduced after the low point in Atlanta 1996, when GB won just one gold. It had an immediate impact by giving podium and potential podium athletes not only funding, but also an array of specialist coaching, training, performance, medical, scientific and technological support.
It meant that by Beijing 2008 GB had moved into the top tier of Olympic nations with a fourth place medal table finish, including 19 golds. In London 2012 it was third place with 29 golds, in Rio 2016 it was second place with 27 golds, and in Tokyo 2020/21 it was fourth place with 22 golds.
So far in Paris 2024 GB are in fifth place with 14 golds – which, if you take the range of 14 sports categories in which they are the world's best, and equated them to the 15 positions on a rugby union field, would give you almost an entire World XV.
Such a team would be unstoppable, because there is a widespread belief among top rugby union coaches that you require six world-class players in your starting 23 to win a World Cup.
The big hitch is that England are currently in Atlanta 1996 territory, with hardly any players in contention for World XV selection. In fact, even if we picked two World XVs, England's chances would not improve. The only England gold medallist in the leading 30 world-class players named below is lock Maro Itoje. By contrast, world champions South Africa have 10, Ireland 7, France 6, New Zealand 4, and Scotland 2.
By position, the 30 gold medal players are:
Full-backs: Will Jordan (NZ), Hugo Keenan (Ire). Wings: Cheslin Kolbe (SA), Damien Penaud (Fra), Kurt-Lee Arendse (SA), Duhan van der Merwe (Sco). Outside-centre: Gael Fickou (Fra), Huw Jones (Sco). Inside-centre: Damian de Allende (SA), Jordie Barrett (NZ). Fly-halves: Romain Ntamack (Fra), Handre Pollard (SA). Scrum-halves: Antoine Dupont (Fra), Jamison Gibson-Park (Ire).
Looseheads: Ox Nche (SA), Andrew Porter (Ire). Hookers: Peato Mauvaka (Fra), Malcolm Marx (SA). Tightheads: Frans Malherbe (SA), Fletcher Newell (NZ). Locks: Eben Etzebeth (SA), Maro Itoje (Eng), Joe McCarthy (Ire), RG Snyman (SA). Blindside: Pieter-Steph du Toit (SA), Tadhg Beirne (Ire). Openside: Josh van der Flier (Ire), Julian Savea (NZ). No.8s: Caelan Doris (Ireland), Greg Alldritt (Fra).
While England do have a number of potential podium contenders outside this 30, the RFU/ Premiership's ability to get players to truly consistent world-class performance levels since the 2003 world champion side under Clive Woodward, falls a long way short.
There is a possibility that the likes of Tommy Freeman, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Marcus Smith, Ben Earl, George Martin, Chandler Cunningham-South, and Ollie Chessum might get there, but given England's conversion rate over the last 21 years, you wouldn't bank on it.
The rate is even worse when it comes to bringing through players who have been England U20 world champions in 2013, 2014, and 2016, into the senior team – and the progress of the 2024 England U20 players crowned world champions in Cape Town last month cannot be allowed to stall in the same way.
The 2003 World Cup winners broke the mould because Woodward essentially set up his own world-class programme. He was an acute talent spotter, and selected specialist coaches who could do the same, and also brought in cutting-edge strength and conditioning and nutrition.
It meant that when his England squad arrived in Australia, Woodward had 10 or more world-class players, and the rest is history. Somehow, however, English rugby shelved the world-class formula, and has been overtaken by its rivals.
This inability to get over the line to claim gold has to be addressed by the RFU setting up a genuine world-class programme, using the GB Olympic model as a template. That way England can give themselves a shot of getting on the podium in every position on the pitch, and winning gold again – and again.
