By Mark Ward BBC News Online technology correspondent

Handheld computers could soon be helping the England rugby team coach Clive Woodward guide the development of his squad.

As part of a deal with team sponsor O2, the 53 members of the squad will be issued with an XDA computer/phone on which they will receive video clips, e-mail and phone calls from the coach.

Woodward sees the handheld as an ideal way to ensure that players are doing the right things when training with their own clubs, rather than as part of the national squad.

The England team already make heavy use of video but before now have not had any way to get it to players quickly.

Ideal medium

The benefit to the team will be immeasurable

Clive Woodward, England coach

Woodward has been using an XDA for the past couple of months and currently uses it as a phone, while relying on a Blackberry pager for e-mail.

Eventually, however, the XDA will become the main way he keeps in touch with his office and the players in the England squad.

"Before now the partnership with O2 was based on the logo on the shirt and the players getting a phone," Woodward told BBC News Online.

The idea is to use the XDA for the video clips that before now have been put on tapes or CDs, and sent out to players by post.

Woodward said the England players were filmed both when training and playing, so video is the ideal medium to show players what they are doing right and wrong.

"Rugby is a fairly technical game in terms of coaching, particularly with something like tackling when body position and approach are important," he said.

"We are not a club side, we are not together as much as those players are," he said.

"When they are playing for their club you want them to do the same things they do with me."

Keep momentum going

The England players are drawn from the 12 Premiership teams. Woodward said he was working closely with coaches at those sides to ensure that players get into good habits.

All players will be given an O2 XDA

Once the technical hurdles of sending video to the XDAs have been sorted out they will be issued to the squad.

"The benefit to the team will be immeasurable if we can get to that stage," he said.

"When we are together we are face-to-face everyday and we do not need it," said Woodward. "But when we are apart it will allow us to keep the momentum going."

Despite the adoption of technology, there are still places where phones and handheld computers are not welcome.

"We have strict rules that the phone cannot be out when we are having a meeting," said Woodward. "They are left in cars or hotel rooms because they can be a distraction."