Former Fiji head coach Simon Raiwalui has made his opinions about Sir Clive Woodward crystal clear this week, after writing a scathing post about the former World Cup winner’s decision not to be involved in ITV’s upcoming Six Nations coverage.
Woodward has been a part of ITV’s coverage for almost a decade, but as the 2024 version of the competition approaches, Woodward’s critical analysis will cease to boom out of our telly sets.
Recently stepping down from his Fiji coaching role in favour of a World Rugby position, Raiwalui was seemingly pleased with the announcement, stating: “The rugby public instantly got smarter!”.
The rugby public instantly got smarter! https://t.co/BAKbBzuwa4
— Simon Raiwalui (@SimonRaiwalui) January 11, 2024
This pretty outspoken point of view from the “proud Aussie/Fijian” was met with humour by fans, as many joked that he should be clearer with his dislike of Woodward, whilst others simply called the remark “cold“.
There has been a mixed responses to Woodward’s departure from the punditry area – in the sense that many different people are saying the same thing. The overwhelming feeling among many is that the former England boss has an outdated and overly critical view of the game.
Newcastle Falcons’ media manager Mark Smith summed it up for many: “Respect to anyone who has won a World Cup, but they’re due a severe refresh on their punditry line-up.”
It will be worth noting that under the scrutiny of the rugby world, Woodward has struck up a ‘love him or hate him’ aura, meaning that even if his approval ratings are down, he’s certainly done his job right.
It will be interesting to see what comes next for the 68-year-old, but in his place ITV are expect to announce their pundits next week.
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