SIR CLIVE WOODWARD: Joe Marler's right. My England side did win ugly on the way to lifting the 2003...
Daily Mail One of the most important things we did as a team in the build-up to the 2003 World Cup was spend two weeks with the Royal Marines.
It was invaluable for both the players and staff in terms of what we took from them ahead of the tournament in Australia.
There are two things that matter in the world of the Marines getting the job done and everyone coming back alive. They told us that you do everything in your power to get the result you require. Rugby is not life and death, but the first of the Marines lessons certainly applies to sport.
To that extent, Joe Marler is absolutely right. After Englands win over Japan which made it back-to-back victories for Steve Borthwicks side Marler said that, on the biggest stage, it is only winning that counts.
That is entirely correct.
Marler said: Youve just got to win, havent you? What did England do 20 years ago? Find a way to win the World Cup. You talk about style of play. A lot of people do.
They won ugly for a lot of that tournament. But we dont talk about that now, do we? Results are all that matter. Performances are secondary.
