{"id":8661,"date":"2023-06-29T10:35:36","date_gmt":"2023-06-29T09:35:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/?p=8661"},"modified":"2023-07-04T10:49:37","modified_gmt":"2023-07-04T09:49:37","slug":"english-rugby-the-sleeping-giant-that-wont-wake-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/english-rugby-the-sleeping-giant-that-wont-wake-up\/","title":{"rendered":"English Rugby: The Sleeping Giant that Won&#8217;t Wake Up"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-0  el_before_av_three_fifth  avia-builder-el-first  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-1  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><div  style='padding-bottom:10px; ' class='av-special-heading av-special-heading-h2  blockquote modern-quote  avia-builder-el-2  avia-builder-el-no-sibling  thought-leadership-heading '><div class ='av-subheading av-subheading_above  ' style='font-size:15px;'><p>Thought Leadership<\/p>\n<\/div><h2 class='av-special-heading-tag '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >English Rugby: The Sleeping Giant that Won\u2019t Wake Up<\/h2><div class='special-heading-border'><div class='special-heading-inner-border' ><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-3  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-4  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_three_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  av_inherit_color '  style='color:#80808a; '  itemprop=\"text\" ><h4><span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\"><\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 10<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">MIN READ<\/span><\/span><\/h4>\n<\/div><\/section><br \/>\n<section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock thought-leadership-author '   itemprop=\"text\" ><h3><strong>By Ben Marlow<\/strong><\/h3>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>June 29, 2023<\/h3>\n<\/div><\/section><br \/>\n<div  style='height:5px' class='hr hr-invisible   avia-builder-el-7  el_after_av_textblock  avia-builder-el-last '><span class='hr-inner ' ><span class='hr-inner-style'><\/span><\/span><\/div><\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-8  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><p><div  class='avia-image-container  av-styling-    avia-builder-el-9  el_before_av_hr  avia-builder-el-first  avia-align-center '  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"  ><div class='avia-image-container-inner'><div class='avia-image-overlay-wrap'><img decoding=\"async\" class='wp-image-8666 avia-img-lazy-loading-not-8666 avia_image' src=\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/GettyImages-1473061331.jpg\" alt='' title='England v France - Guinness Six Nations' height=\"706\" width=\"1024\"  itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/GettyImages-1473061331.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/GettyImages-1473061331-300x207.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/GettyImages-1473061331-768x530.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/GettyImages-1473061331-705x486.jpg 705w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><br \/>\n<div  style='height:5px' class='hr hr-invisible   avia-builder-el-10  el_after_av_image  avia-builder-el-last '><span class='hr-inner ' ><span class='hr-inner-style'><\/span><\/span><\/div><\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-11  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-12  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_three_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock thought-leadership-share '   itemprop=\"text\" ><h3>Thought Leadership<\/h3>\n<p>Inspired by what you&#8217;re reading? Why not subscribe for regular insights delivered straight to your inbox.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><br \/>\n<div  class='avia-button-wrap avia-button-left  avia-builder-el-14  el_after_av_textblock  el_before_av_textblock ' ><a href='https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/contact\/news-signup\/'  class='avia-button  avia-color-theme-color   avia-icon_select-no avia-size-small avia-position-left '   ><span class='avia_iconbox_title' >Subscribe<\/span><\/a><\/div><br \/>\n<section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  '   itemprop=\"text\" ><hr \/>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<\/div><\/section><br \/>\n<div  class='av-social-sharing-box  avia-builder-el-16  el_after_av_textblock  avia-builder-el-last  '><div class='av-share-box'><h5 class='av-share-link-description av-no-toc '>Share this story<\/h5><ul class='av-share-box-list noLightbox'><li class='av-share-link av-social-link-facebook' ><a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Share on Facebook\" href='https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/english-rugby-the-sleeping-giant-that-wont-wake-up\/&#038;t=English%20Rugby%3A%20The%20Sleeping%20Giant%20that%20Won%E2%80%99t%20Wake%20Up' aria-hidden='false' data-av_icon='\ue8f3' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello' title='' data-avia-related-tooltip='Share on Facebook' rel=\"noopener\"><span class='avia_hidden_link_text'>Share on Facebook<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class='av-share-link av-social-link-twitter' ><a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Share on Twitter\" href='https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=English%20Rugby%3A%20The%20Sleeping%20Giant%20that%20Won%E2%80%99t%20Wake%20Up&#038;url=https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/?p=8661' aria-hidden='false' data-av_icon='\ue8f1' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello' title='' data-avia-related-tooltip='Share on Twitter' rel=\"noopener\"><span class='avia_hidden_link_text'>Share on Twitter<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class='av-share-link av-social-link-linkedin' ><a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Share on LinkedIn\" href='https:\/\/linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&#038;title=English%20Rugby%3A%20The%20Sleeping%20Giant%20that%20Won%E2%80%99t%20Wake%20Up&#038;url=https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/english-rugby-the-sleeping-giant-that-wont-wake-up\/' aria-hidden='false' data-av_icon='\ue8fc' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello' title='' data-avia-related-tooltip='Share on LinkedIn' rel=\"noopener\"><span class='avia_hidden_link_text'>Share on LinkedIn<\/span><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-17  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock thought-leadership-main-content '  style='font-size:20px; '  itemprop=\"text\" ><p><b>RFU High Performance Review<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The performance of the England Men\u2019s rugby team has been lacklustre since defeating New Zealand in the 2019 World Cup semi-finals. With only two Six Nations victories in each of the 2021, 2022, and 2023 campaigns resulting in finishes of fifth, third and fourth respectively, England head into the 2023 World Cup with hope, but not expectation. Given the substantial financial and playing resources at England&#8217;s disposal, this is hard to fathom and speaks of a system in need of attention.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Italy and France have higher populations than England, and yet according to IRU data from 2011, the number of male players playing Rugby in England is greater than that of the other six nation\u2019s countries suggesting that participation is an advantage, not a challenge (although Covid has precipitated a dip in participation).\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">England&#8217;s numerical advantages have historically been enough to drive their success &#8211; they remain the only Northern Hemisphere team to win the World Cup. Sir Clive Woodward\u2019s team of 2003, which boasted the likes of Jonny Wilkinson, Martin Johnson, Richard Hill and Will Greenwood carried all before it having successfully straddled the transition from an amateur to professional game. However, our models suggest there is a good chance that either France (22.1%) or Ireland (20.4%) will win the Webb Ellis Cup later this year, with England outsiders at best (8.5%).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Perhaps most concerning for England is the decline of the U20 team &#8211; generally a lead indicator for future success at senior international level. Having been the strongest U20 team among Six Nations participants in 2015, they are now third behind both Ireland and France, suggesting a more than temporary blip in performance on the biggest stage.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div><div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-19  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div><\/p>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-20  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_three_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div   avia-builder-el-21  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='padding:10px 30px 10px 30px ; border-radius:0px; '><div  class='avia-image-container  av-styling-    avia-builder-el-22  avia-builder-el-no-sibling  avia-align-center '  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"  ><div class='avia-image-container-inner'><div class='avia-image-overlay-wrap'><a href='https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/RFU-06-1030x409.jpg' class='avia_image'  ><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1016\" class='wp-image-8669 avia-img-lazy-loading-not-8669 avia_image' src=\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/RFU-06-scaled.jpg\" alt='' title='RFU-06'  itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/RFU-06-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/RFU-06-300x119.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/RFU-06-1030x409.jpg 1030w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/RFU-06-768x305.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/RFU-06-1536x609.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/RFU-06-2048x813.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/RFU-06-1500x595.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/RFU-06-705x280.jpg 705w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-23  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-24  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_three_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-25  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock thought-leadership-main-content '  style='font-size:20px; '  itemprop=\"text\" ><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This stands in stark contrast to France and Ireland in particular. France\u2019s youth team improved from 2015 to 2018 at which point the senior team started to challenge consistently for the Six Nations crown. It is no coincidence that this is when the likes of Dupont, Jalibert, Ntamack, Ramos &amp; Penaud &#8211; players developed in France\u2019s youth system &#8211; all started playing for the senior team which is now among the World\u2019s strongest. For their part, the Irish &#8211; the Northern Hemisphere\u2019s other great World Cup hope &#8211; have seen an improvement in both senior and U20 teams since 2019, perhaps as a consequence of a new strategy launched in 2018 with a specific focus on the period up until 2023.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-27  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-28  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_three_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div   avia-builder-el-29  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='padding:10px 30px 10px 30px ; border-radius:0px; '><div  class='avia-image-container  av-styling-    avia-builder-el-30  avia-builder-el-no-sibling  avia-align-center '  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"  ><div class='avia-image-container-inner'><div class='avia-image-overlay-wrap'><a href='https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/RFU-07-1030x409.jpg' class='avia_image'  ><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1016\" class='wp-image-8670 avia-img-lazy-loading-not-8670 avia_image' src=\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/RFU-07-scaled.jpg\" alt='' title='RFU-07'  itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/RFU-07-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/RFU-07-300x119.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/RFU-07-1030x409.jpg 1030w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/RFU-07-768x305.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/RFU-07-1536x609.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/RFU-07-2048x813.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/RFU-07-1500x595.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/RFU-07-705x280.jpg 705w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-31  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-32  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_three_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div   avia-builder-el-33  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='padding:10px 30px 10px 30px ; border-radius:0px; '><div  class='avia-image-container  av-styling-    avia-builder-el-34  avia-builder-el-no-sibling  avia-align-center '  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"  ><div class='avia-image-container-inner'><div class='avia-image-overlay-wrap'><a href='https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/RFU-08-1030x409.jpg' class='avia_image'  ><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1016\" class='wp-image-8671 avia-img-lazy-loading-not-8671 avia_image' src=\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/RFU-08-scaled.jpg\" alt='' title='RFU-08'  itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/RFU-08-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/RFU-08-300x119.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/RFU-08-1030x409.jpg 1030w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/RFU-08-768x305.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/RFU-08-1536x609.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/RFU-08-2048x813.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/RFU-08-1500x595.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/RFU-08-705x280.jpg 705w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-35  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-36  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_three_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-37  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock thought-leadership-main-content '  style='font-size:20px; '  itemprop=\"text\" ><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The juxtaposition is striking, particularly with Ireland, a country whose rugby resources &#8211; both playing and financial &#8211; are dwarfed by their neighbours across the Irish sea. The implication is that the English system, not just the England team, is struggling, with both senior and U20 teams in decline. As is often the case in sport, the RFU has placed its hopes on the coach. Steve Borthwick replaced Eddie Jones before this year&#8217;s Six Nations in the hope that a different approach will get the best out of a group of players who, it is assumed, have the talent to carry all before them. There may even be a sneaking hope that England could come good in time to challenge for the World Cup, particularly given their favourable draw.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This however assumes the issue is simply one of coaching. While Brendan McCullum\u2019s transformation of England\u2019s Test Cricket team demonstrates the impact that bold, innovative coaching can have, the likelihood for the RFU is that the current crop of English rugby players are simply not as good as the French or Irish. Eddie Jones may not have been a skittish selector, he may have never managed to complete his hunt for players with the talent necessary to compete for Grand Slams and World Cups.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Talent development is a game of outliers in which there are no guarantees. The Belgian football team have been ranked among the top 5 for the last decade, aided by the emergence of a freakishly good crop of players (Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku etc), rather than as a result an elite development system. Most predictions of where the Belgian football team will rank in 20 years have them significantly lower than 5th as they are likely to regress to their natural place in the hierarchy based on their population and the penetration of football among youth participants.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The All Blacks are perhaps the finest example of the opposite &#8211; a system that is so effective, it can overcome the natural disadvantage of population to make the emergence of outlier talent predictable, or even inevitable.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But what of England? Is this a case of bad luck or the inevitable consequence of a broken system? That England\u2019s decline in senior Internationals is matched by a decline at youth level is certainly cause for concern, as is the fact that the domestic game is in a parlous financial state. There are enough long term markers to warrant further exploration into the system upon which England\u2019s performance relies.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-39  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-40  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_three_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div   avia-builder-el-41  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='padding:10px 30px 10px 30px ; border-radius:0px; '><div  class='avia-image-container  av-styling-    avia-builder-el-42  avia-builder-el-no-sibling  avia-align-center '  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"  ><div class='avia-image-container-inner'><div class='avia-image-overlay-wrap'><a href='https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/RFU-09-1030x409.jpg' class='avia_image'  ><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1016\" class='wp-image-8672 avia-img-lazy-loading-not-8672 avia_image' src=\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/RFU-09-scaled.jpg\" alt='' title='RFU-09'  itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/RFU-09-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/RFU-09-300x119.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/RFU-09-1030x409.jpg 1030w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/RFU-09-768x305.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/RFU-09-1536x609.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/RFU-09-2048x813.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/RFU-09-1500x595.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/RFU-09-705x280.jpg 705w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-43  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-44  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_three_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-45  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock thought-leadership-main-content '  style='font-size:20px; '  itemprop=\"text\" ><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Much focus is currently being placed on the sustainability of the club game and its ability to compete with the riches of French and Irish clubs. While this is much needed, our view is that performance and commercial are inextricably linked and the RFU can\u2019t reasonably expect to secure the financial future of the game in England without resolving the existing performance issues. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-47  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-48  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_three_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div   avia-builder-el-49  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='padding:10px 30px 10px 30px ; border-radius:0px; '><div  class='avia-image-container  av-styling-    avia-builder-el-50  avia-builder-el-no-sibling  avia-align-center '  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"  ><div class='avia-image-container-inner'><div class='avia-image-overlay-wrap'><a href='https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Flywheel-01-1030x961.png' class='avia_image'  ><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"4456\" height=\"4158\" class='wp-image-7420 avia-img-lazy-loading-not-7420 avia_image' src=\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Flywheel-01.png\" alt='' title='Flywheel-01'  itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Flywheel-01.png 4456w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Flywheel-01-300x280.png 300w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Flywheel-01-1030x961.png 1030w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Flywheel-01-768x717.png 768w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Flywheel-01-1536x1433.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Flywheel-01-2048x1911.png 2048w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Flywheel-01-1500x1400.png 1500w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Flywheel-01-705x658.png 705w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 4456px) 100vw, 4456px\" \/><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-51  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-52  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_three_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-53  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock thought-leadership-main-content '  style='font-size:20px; '  itemprop=\"text\" ><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Faced with similar issues, the ECB have <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ecb.co.uk\/england\/men\/news\/2799189\/mens-high-performance-review-publishes-final-report\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">sought to create a holistic performance system<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to create sustainable on field success for the long term, while also helping to drive the game\u2019s commercial success. Cricket is a useful case study for Rugby, with the two sports sharing many similarities &#8211; an underperforming national team (now seemingly resolved for English cricket), a domestic game with financial challenges and revenues generated centrally being key to the game\u2019s overall survival. In recognition of the challenge faced by England\u2019s current &#8211; and likely future &#8211; performance, the time is right for a similar period of introspection and the creation of a proactive plan to put English Rugby Union back on a firm footing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you would like to find out more about our performance review services please get in touch with <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/contact\/get-in-touch\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ben Marlow<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-55  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_codeblock  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":8666,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[53,52,33],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v20.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>English Rugby: The Sleeping Giant that Won&#039;t Wake Up - Twenty First Group Limited<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The England Men\u2019s rugby team has been struggling. Given the substantial resources at the RFU&#039;s disposal - this is speaks of a system in need of attention.\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/english-rugby-the-sleeping-giant-that-wont-wake-up\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"English Rugby: The Sleeping Giant that Won&#039;t Wake Up - Twenty First Group Limited\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The England Men\u2019s rugby team has been struggling. Given the substantial resources at the RFU&#039;s disposal - this is speaks of a system in need of attention.\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/english-rugby-the-sleeping-giant-that-wont-wake-up\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Twenty First Group Limited\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-06-29T09:35:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-07-04T09:49:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/GettyImages-1473061331.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"706\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Adam Watson\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@TwentyFirstGrp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@TwentyFirstGrp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Adam Watson\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"14 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/english-rugby-the-sleeping-giant-that-wont-wake-up\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/english-rugby-the-sleeping-giant-that-wont-wake-up\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Adam Watson\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4147d3109b8463d5c10d1c799230e65f\"},\"headline\":\"English Rugby: The Sleeping Giant that Won&#8217;t Wake Up\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-06-29T09:35:36+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-07-04T09:49:37+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/english-rugby-the-sleeping-giant-that-wont-wake-up\/\"},\"wordCount\":6580,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Competition Intelligence\",\"Performance Intelligence\",\"Thought leadership\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/english-rugby-the-sleeping-giant-that-wont-wake-up\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/english-rugby-the-sleeping-giant-that-wont-wake-up\/\",\"name\":\"English Rugby: The Sleeping Giant that Won't Wake Up - Twenty First Group Limited\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2023-06-29T09:35:36+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-07-04T09:49:37+00:00\",\"description\":\"The England Men\u2019s rugby team has been struggling. Given the substantial resources at the RFU's disposal - this is speaks of a system in need of attention.\u00a0\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/english-rugby-the-sleeping-giant-that-wont-wake-up\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/\",\"name\":\"Twenty First Group Limited\",\"description\":\"Shaping the future through predictive insights and strategy.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Twenty First Group Limited\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/cropped-TFG_Roundel_Small_CBlue_RGB-01.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/cropped-TFG_Roundel_Small_CBlue_RGB-01.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"Twenty First Group Limited\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TwentyFirstGrp\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4147d3109b8463d5c10d1c799230e65f\",\"name\":\"Adam Watson\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"English Rugby: The Sleeping Giant that Won't Wake Up - Twenty First Group Limited","description":"The England Men\u2019s rugby team has been struggling. Given the substantial resources at the RFU's disposal - this is speaks of a system in need of attention.\u00a0","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/english-rugby-the-sleeping-giant-that-wont-wake-up\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"English Rugby: The Sleeping Giant that Won't Wake Up - Twenty First Group Limited","og_description":"The England Men\u2019s rugby team has been struggling. Given the substantial resources at the RFU's disposal - this is speaks of a system in need of attention.\u00a0","og_url":"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/english-rugby-the-sleeping-giant-that-wont-wake-up\/","og_site_name":"Twenty First Group Limited","article_published_time":"2023-06-29T09:35:36+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-07-04T09:49:37+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1024,"height":706,"url":"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/GettyImages-1473061331.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Adam Watson","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@TwentyFirstGrp","twitter_site":"@TwentyFirstGrp","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Adam Watson","Estimated reading time":"14 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/english-rugby-the-sleeping-giant-that-wont-wake-up\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/english-rugby-the-sleeping-giant-that-wont-wake-up\/"},"author":{"name":"Adam Watson","@id":"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4147d3109b8463d5c10d1c799230e65f"},"headline":"English Rugby: The Sleeping Giant that Won&#8217;t Wake Up","datePublished":"2023-06-29T09:35:36+00:00","dateModified":"2023-07-04T09:49:37+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/english-rugby-the-sleeping-giant-that-wont-wake-up\/"},"wordCount":6580,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/#organization"},"articleSection":["Competition Intelligence","Performance Intelligence","Thought leadership"],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/english-rugby-the-sleeping-giant-that-wont-wake-up\/","url":"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/english-rugby-the-sleeping-giant-that-wont-wake-up\/","name":"English Rugby: The Sleeping Giant that Won't Wake Up - Twenty First Group Limited","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/#website"},"datePublished":"2023-06-29T09:35:36+00:00","dateModified":"2023-07-04T09:49:37+00:00","description":"The England Men\u2019s rugby team has been struggling. Given the substantial resources at the RFU's disposal - this is speaks of a system in need of attention.\u00a0","inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/english-rugby-the-sleeping-giant-that-wont-wake-up\/"]}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/","name":"Twenty First Group Limited","description":"Shaping the future through predictive insights and strategy.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/#organization","name":"Twenty First Group Limited","url":"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/cropped-TFG_Roundel_Small_CBlue_RGB-01.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/cropped-TFG_Roundel_Small_CBlue_RGB-01.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"Twenty First Group Limited"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/twitter.com\/TwentyFirstGrp"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4147d3109b8463d5c10d1c799230e65f","name":"Adam Watson"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8661"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8661"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8661\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8675,"href":"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8661\/revisions\/8675"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8666"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8661"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8661"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8661"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}