World Cup winner Will Greenwood backs Stuart Lancaster on England discipline
Thursday 11 June 2015 15:09, UK
World Cup winner Will Greenwood has backed Stuart Lancaster on his zero tolerance of ill-discipline in the England squad.
The England head coach has shown his ruthless side by axing key players Manu Tuilagi and Dylan Hartley for respective off-field and on-field misdemeanours, while mercurial fly-half Danny Cipriani is waiting to learn his fate having been held on suspicion of drink-driving.
Without three potential match-winners, some have suggested Lancaster has weakened England's hand but Greenwood - a member of Sir Clive Woodward's world-beaters in 2003 - believes that sticking to principles will stand the squad in good stead ahead of this year's home World Cup.
The former British & Irish Lions centre said: "You don't win a World Cup with the best players, you win a World Cup with the best team.
"There's no greater testament to that than England's team of 2003, where there might have been two or three that would have made a World XV, but the vast majority of the lads were happy to compete in units.
"The key is to build a cohesive, powerful, strong, united team that are all living their life with similar values and ethos at the very core.
"That's what Lancaster has adopted. To understand it's not about the best players, it's about the best team and hopefully the best players in the right environment create the best team.
It's not about the best players, it's about the best team and hopefully the best players in the right environment create the best team.
"The only thing they're doing is creating an environment to give them the best opportunity to win.
"Home advantage and the quality of the players they've got and the coaches they've got gives this team a valid reason to be second favourites for this tournament."
With Toulon having expressed an interest in taking Tuilagi away from Leicester, the centre's England career may be on hold beyond the World Cup due to Lancaster's policy of refusing to pick players based overseas.
Greenwood said of the situation: "What we do know if you go to France, is you don't play for England."
