Clive Woodward has been at the helm of English rugby for five eventful years but, even by his own unpredictable standards, he rocked the boat in extraordinary style yesterday by demanding a clampdown on controversial southern hemisphere "blocking" tactics before Australia's visit to Twickenham this weekend.
Woodward had already caused interest in Wallaby circles by omitting Lawrence Dallaglio from his starting line-up but the England head coach soon created fresh waves by issuing a loud call for tougher action from referees to combat the black art of midfield decoy running as demonstrated by New Zealand last Saturday. Woodward insisted three of the All Blacks' four tries in their 31-28 defeat would have been disallowed in English domestic rugby, heaping pressure on this weekend's referee Paul Honiss, a New Zealander, to stop Australia pulling any similar stunts.
The coach accused the New Zealand centre Tana Umaga of blocking manoeuvres in the lead-up to both of Jonah Lomu's tries. He warned that his own backs might resort to gamesmanship if the issue is not addressed. "In eight games against southern hemisphere sides we've conceded five tries, yet on Saturday we went out and let in four," explained Woodward. "In my opinion three of them would not have been allowed in the Zurich Premiership. What I don't want to do is fly home in 12 months' time from a World Cup still whingeing about it. We have to get it cleared up."
Deliberate obstruction of an opponent is illegal in rugby but a significant grey area exists when attacking runners obscure the defence's view of the ball. Decoy runners are allowed but "blockers" who stand no chance of receiving the ball are not. "If they see contact, referees blow," said Woodward, suggesting his players go down more readily. "We've got to milk it and be more streetwise even if it's not quite in the spirit of the game."
Australia can spot a psychological ploy miles away and did not rise to the bait. Their coach Eddie Jones said he agreed with the broad thrust of Woodward's arguments but pointedly added that he would also be asking Honiss to keep a close eye on English obstruction at the lineout.
