By Mike Burnett

Woodward says the system needs to put the players first

Former coach Sir Clive Woodward believes the England players have been let down by the national team set-up.

He also said 13 of the starting side which he guided to World Cup victory in 2003 could still have been involved in the title defence if handled properly.

"I think only Martin Johnson and Neil Back probably wouldn't have made this World Cup if they'd been properly looked after by the system," he said.

"The players are just in bits, they're playing too much rugby."

Woodward, now director of elite performance with the British Olympic Association, has been highly critical of the Rugby Football Union over the past few days and blamed its "system" for England's current slump.

In 2003, everyone said they were an old team - 13 of them should have made this World Cup Sir Clive Woodward

The RFU's under-fire chief executive Francis Baron had responded to Woodward's comments at the weekend by saying: "The game is a very different game now, the issues are very different now than they were when Clive was in post."

But England's former World Cup-winning coach hit back on Wednesday, stressing his close links with fitness and conditioning expert Dave Reddin who was recently sacked by the RFU.

"This is nonsense again - it's a good line of his," added Woodward, who was speaking at the 2006 UK Coaching Awards in London.

"I speak regularly to Dave Reddin, who left the game two days ago, and he's at the cutting edge - nothing has changed, nothing has changed for the last nine or 10 years.

You look at Josh Lewsey and Phil Vickery - they should be better players now than they were in 2003 Sir Clive Woodward

"To say that someone like me has not been in the sport for two years and does not understand what's going on is a little bit inaccurate."

Since their World Cup triumph two years ago, England have slipped down the world rankings against a backdrop of continual club v country rows.

However Woodward insisted that the players are not to blame.

"You look at Josh Lewsey and Phil Vickery. They should be better players now than they were in 2003. But physically they don't look in the same shape, and that's not their fault.

"It's the battering they have taken from trying to work in a system that's not easy for them to work in."

"In 2003, everyone said they were an old team. Out of the 15 - 13 of them should have made this World Cup but they're just getting blasted by too much rugby."

Woodward also refused to be sidetracked by talk of central contracts and said rugby giants New Zealand were clearly the example to follow.

"It's nothing to do with central contracts; it's just the system doesn't allow them to prepare individually," he said.

"You have to be better prepared than your major competitors, but if you aren't doing that it's just a case of fingers crossed.