England World Cup winning coach Sir Clive Woodward has not ruled out a return to top flight rugby after the 2012 Olympics.
The British Olympic Associations elite performance director, who ended his seven-year reign as England coach after the World Cup triumph in 2003, reveals that he still has a passion for the game that brought him such fame.
Appearing on the BBCs Desert Island Discs, Sir Clive admits he handled his resignation badly when he tore up his contract with three years still to run to the 2007 World Cup because he thought his plea for radical change after the World Cup was not getting the full support of the RFU.
Unforgettable: Sir Clive Woodward celebrates England"s World Cup triumph in Sydney
He also reveals his sadness at letting down his wife on the day he walked away from the game. ;Ninety-five per cent of Janes advice I have taken, and five per cent I havent, he said. ;The one time I didnt take her advice, which I regret, is whenI left the England job.
;She briefed me before the final Press conference. She said this is the time to thank everybody, that we had been incredibly lucky, and reminded me that I had resigned and that the RFU did not want me to go. So, thats what I decided to do. It lasted 30 seconds. Something was said and I just tore into them.
;I went into them in terms of why I was leaving. It wasnt the right time to do that because without Francis Baron, Graham Cattermole and the RFU, I wouldnt have achieved as much as we did. They had supported me brilliantly.
"I had decided to resign. It wasnt the time for cheap shots, it was time to shake hands and move on.
;Jane was sitting in front of me and I could see her face going whiter and whiter, horrified at what I was doing. We got in the car afterwards and sat in silence for a minute.
Advice: Woodward"s wife Jayne told him not to burn bridges with the RFU
"She looked at me and said, Thats that. You have just burned your bridges. There is no way you will ever come back here. You may be right in what youre saying, but it was the wrong time to do it. I got it badly wrong. I regret it now.
Asked by presenter Kirsty Young whether he wants to return to the game, he says: ;I still have a passion for the game. Whether I would do the same again, I am not so sure. Winning the World Cup? I wouldnt get up tomorrow if I thought I wasnt going to get anywhere near that again.
Sir Clive says Englands chances of repeating their World Cup triumph have been damaged because the game has ignored his warning that the elite performers are playing too much domestic rugby.
;You cannot play the amount of rugby they are playing and think they can roll up and beat South Africa and New Zealand.
"The team that seems to suffer most is England. I was trying to fix that and didnt do a very good job with my negotiating skills!
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