Woodward celebrates his finest hour.

By Duncan Bech, PA Sport

If ever proof was needed that coaches should be given time to produce a winning team, then look no further than Clive Woodward.

Appointed England boss in 1997, the former British Lion brought with him new ideas and high ambition and represented a breath of fresh air following the stuffiness of his predecessors Jack Rowell and Geoff Cooke.

Woodward did not always get it right - he gave several players debuts ahead of their time for example - but he was willing to explore unfamiliar avenues in a bid to realise the expansive gameplan he advocated as a player.

England produced a few notable results until the 1999 World Cup - a 26-26 draw with New Zealand and a 13-7 win over South Africa being the most memorable - but it was at global rugby's showpiece that the whole plan nearly came off the rails.

Booted out of the tournament by Springbok fly-half Jannie de Beer, Woodward's position came under heavy fire following his demand that he be judged on England's performance in the World Cup. It was just that 1999 had come too early.

Will Carling was one of several noted voices calling for the coach's head but in the absence of any serious rivals, Woodward weathered the storm and it is to English rugby's eternal gratitude that he did.

Planning became his obsession, turning this current England rugby team into arguably the best prepared national side to have left these shores - with a battery of specialist coaches in tow, nothing is left to doubt.

He jettisoned his desire to see running rugby in favour of a hard-nosed winning-at-all-cost policy which has swept his men to the top of the world rankings - although with players like Jason Robinson and Ben Cohen in the team, they can still excite.

On the pitch Martin Johnson and Jonny Wilkinson have carried Twickenham's finest into the golden era of English rugby, but it is the vision of one man who has allowed them to do it.