Centre of Excellence

Ahead of his appearance at the Club’s annual Rugby Dinner, Will Greenwood MBE discusses how his life outside the game shaped his success on the pitch.

Words by Mark Bailey

MANY PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES accomplish great success but few achieve sporting immortality. As a member of England’s 2003 Rugby World Cup winning team, Will Greenwood is one of the elite few who have permanently etched their names into sporting folklore. Playing alongside Jonny Wilkinson, Martin Johnson and Lawrence Dallaglio, the 6ft 4in centre scored five tries at the tournament in Australia, finishing as England’s joint leading tryscorer. A year later, the Blackburn-born athlete was rewarded with an MBE from Her Majesty The Queen at Buckingham Palace.

And, as we approach the 20th anniversary of England’s famous World Cup win, the success of Greenwood and his teammates has lost none of its lustre. England’s 2003 triumph remains the nation’s only Rugby World Cup victory. It represents the elusive goal which the current England team is striving to emulate at the 2023 World Cup in France. And it still sparks a kaleidoscope

of golden memories among fans. “I can be in a place where I think there’s no way anyone will recognise me and suddenly someone says: ‘I was there in 2003!’” reveals Greenwood, 49, who lives west of London with his wife Caroline, and their children, Archie, Matilda and Rocco. “People say: ‘Thanks for everything. It was amazing!’ Or: ‘I can remember exactly where I was when we won!’ It is lovely to have that impact on people’s lives.”

Such longevity is rare in the sporting world. But Greenwood’s broader life experiences are what he is keen to share with members when he attends the annual Rugby Dinner at Woodcote Park in February. In 1994, he earned a degree in Economics from Durham University and between then and 1996, when rugby was still an amateur game, he worked as a trader for Midland Global Markets, later part of HSBC. In 2018, in memory of his son Freddie – who was born prematurely in 2002 and tragically died just 45 minutes into his life – Greenwood trekked to the North Pole to help raise more than £750,000 for Borne – a charity which researches premature childbirth. And since November 2020, he has been the Chief Customer Officer at the London office of software firm Afiniti.

“I’ve got a reasonable backlog of scar tissue from a variety of different expeditions, careers, sporting achievements,” explains Greenwood. “From walking to the North Pole, to co-writing a book on leadership

“People say: ‘I can remember exactly where I was when England won [the Rugby World Cup]!’ It is lovely to have that impact on people’s lives.”

Overleaf: Greenwood about to score a try for England during a Five Nations match against Wales at Twickenham in 1998 (Professional Sport/ Popperfoto via Getty Images)

Above: Greenwood scores a try during the 2003 Rugby World Cup quarterfinal match against Wales in Brisbane

[World Class: How to Lead, Learn and Grow like a Champion] to being a dad of four, I have experienced a lot. When I visit the Club, I hope to link these experiences to some of the strategies we put in place with the Rugby World Cup team. But the key to all this lies in not taking myself too seriously. I am still the kid from Blackburn who grew up eating Pot Noodles!”

As Greenwood progressed in the amateur era, he only ever saw rugby as a “fun activity” rather than a possible profession. His father Dick had played for, and later managed, the England rugby team, but made his living as a teacher. As a young adult, Greenwood squeezed in games for London club Harlequins around his work duties. But as soon as the sport turned professional in 1996, he committed to rugby full-time.

Greenwood remains convinced that his formative experiences off the pitch shaped his success on it. He describes his time studying, and playing rugby, at Durham as a “launchpad” for his ambition, self-discipline and teamwork – although he jokes that he “studied rugby and played economics”. And his work in a chaotic London trading pit in the mid-1990s taught him how to make rapid decisions under pressure – an invaluable attribute on a rugby pitch.

“Any experience outside of your core skillset really does enhance you as a player,” he explains. “Having a breadth of knowledge can help you to become a specialist. It sounds counterintuitive, I know. But exploring different sports, ideas, coaching patterns and life experiences is what helps to create the best athletes on the planet.”

During his England career, Greenwood was coached by Sir Clive Woodward, whose focus on leadership and TCUP (Thinking Correctly Under Pressure) is now legendary. Elite psychology fascinates Greenwood. “For my book on leadership, I got to interview 80 to 100 people who were leaders, winners and champions to try and understand any common themes. And at the heart of great success is immense ‘teamship’. Our World Cup win was built on teamship, complementary skillsets, the celebration of difference and togetherness.”

Greenwood earned 55 caps for England and scored 31 tries. He was selected for three British and Irish Lions tours, in 1997, 2001 and 2005. He made 107 appearances for Harlequins, with whom he won two European Challenge Cups, and 151 for Leicester Tigers, with whom he won two Premiership titles. But he says England’s swashbuckling build-up to the 2003 World Cup was his best period in the game.

“In the summer of 2003 we played New Zealand and Australia and we won both games away, in Wellington (15-13) and Melbourne (25-14),” he recalls. “On the back of our (42-6) victory against Ireland in Dublin [to seal the 2003 Six Nations Grand Slam], it was special. We won three massive away games against three of the best teams – and then we won the World Cup in Australia. The other major titles England have won – the Football World Cup in 1966, the Lionesses at the Euros [in 2022] and the Cricket World Cup in 2019 – were at Wembley and Lords. So to be able to do stuff on foreign soil is so difficult.”

Greenwood, who retired from rugby in 2006, remains a passionate fan. He is looking forward to the 2023 Six Nations in February, even though England have struggled in recent years. “They had a decent victory in Australia in the summer,” he notes. “But the last time we played France and Ireland we were beaten. So, third in the northern hemisphere is probably a decent summary of where we sit.”

He works as an analyst for Sky Sports and writes a regular column for The Telegraph, but he will be equally happy to discuss bikes and motors with members at the Rugby Dinner. “I enjoy cycling,” he says. “I rode the [190km] route of the first stage of the Tour de France when it went from Leeds to Harrogate in 2014. And this year I cycled in Switzerland for a charity called Street Child. I like cars too and I am a huge Land Rover fan. When you have a big family and dogs, they are just the greatest car.”

To find out more and book a place for the Rugby Dinner, please turn to the Events section of this magazine.