There are still 13 months to next year's World Cup but Clive Woodward is already trumpeting the dawn of a new era for the English game following the long-awaited agreement between the clubs and Twickenham regarding the premiership's elite players.
Woodward, mindful of the recent club versus country headlines involving Sven Goran Eriksson and Sir Alex Ferguson, believes other sports will envy English rugby's elite player scheme after confirmation that the clubs will release their major assets for 20 squad training and fitness days this season in addition to regular Test match weeks.
Although he first demanded 40 days and aspects of the new deal will have to be reviewed annually, Woodward insists he is now "as positive as I've ever been in terms of what we're trying to do with the England team" ahead of his 50-man training squad's first two-day session on Monday.
"After the to-ing and fro-ing of the last five years I see this as a way of catapulting the whole thing forward," Woodward said. "I genuinely believe there'll be no more talk about club versus country in our sport. We've come up with a plan which other sports will look at and say: 'Wow, this is how a national team and a fantastic club-based game can really work together.'"
The small print took 12 months to finalise, with club directors of rugby initially worried they would barely see their leading men. But, in return, Woodward is inviting them to attend England skills sessions and to swap coaching, medical and administrative notes.
As several hail from rival World Cup powers New Zealand and Australia this is a risk for Woodward but he believes the pros outweight any cons.
Talks are also ongoing to switch the dates of Sunday premiership matches involving England players immediately prior to the November international against the All Blacks.
For once all concerned seem to be in unison. "If we can go down there and win the World Cup it's going to have a massive effect on the sport in this country and that's why we're getting behind this programme," the players' union chief executive Damian Hopley said.
