Rugby Union: Woodward wants Dallaglio back

THE SHADOWS fall, even in paradise. Clive Woodward and his England tour party could hardly have been further off the beaten track for the last fortnight or so - Couran Cove, not so much an island sports resort as a sub-tropical ecosystem boasting a 21st century standard of living, is shielded by hundreds of acres of virgin rainforest - but there is no escaping the shockwaves of the Lawrence Dallaglio affair. Not for the first time in recent weeks, Woodward spent much of yesterday mounting a fierce defence of his close friend and former captain as the accusations came sweeping across the hemispheres from London.

"I think it's total nonsense," said the national coach of the latest newspaper reports linking Dallaglio with alleged drug abuse, "and unless anyone tells me otherwise, Lawrence will be back with the England squad when we meet up back home on 19 July. I'm a mate of his, I know him well and we have to get him through this whole sad episode. In the meantime, we have to move on, to get on with life; there is only one way to look at this, and that is to say that if Lawrence had broken a leg, we'd be in precisely the same boat."

Dallaglio is currently doing some warm-weather training of his own in Portugal, but he and the coach have discussed last weekend's renewed tabloid assault. "Lawrence has a personal trainer out there and he's working every bit as hard on his fitness as the rest of the squad here in Australia," revealed Woodward. "I've tried to ensure that he doesn't waste his time wallowing around doing nothing."

For all that, there were clear signs yesterday that the England hierarchy were looking to consign the Dallaglio issue to the back burner if at all possible. Woodward went the extra mile to talk up Martin Johnson's contribution as England's new captain - "He's doing a fantastic job, as we knew he would" - and also gave the clearest of hints that Martin Corry, the Leicester No 8, would not only fill Dallaglio's boots against the Wallabies on Saturday week, but challenge for a World Cup place irrespective of whether or not the former skipper makes the tournament.

"It's important that Corry isn't made to feel that he's merely making up the numbers," said the coach. "He's a specialist No 8 who plays the role week in, week out, which is not something you can say for Lawrence, who tends to chop and change at club level. If Martin plays against Australia - and there is every chance that he will start the Test - we'll find out just how good he is. This is a big chance for him and he knows it."

England were leaving Couran Cove today and moving into Brisbane to begin preparations for this Saturday's warm-up with Queensland at Ballymore. But Woodward will return with future England parties given half a chance; the coach personally inspected four Gold Coast resorts before choosing the pounds 70m development on South Stradbroke Island and he remains convinced that he hit the button first time. "It's been even better than I anticipated," he beamed, conveniently forgetting that he had just been treated to the sight of a python struggling to digest a small wallaby. (That is to say, a marsupial version of the species as opposed to George Gregan).

Constructed and managed by Ron Clarke, the great Olympic distance runner who set world records at every distance from two miles to 10,000 metres, the resort is increasingly popular with sports teams and will be in almost constant use in the run-up to next summer's Sydney Games. Remarkably enough, given the tempestuous sporting relationship between the two countries, these particular Australians went out of their way to accommodate their guests from "Whingeing Pom" land, extending an under-sized rugby pitch to something approaching full scale and restocking the open-air gym with a couple of tons of additional weights.

"I still look at the Wallabies with total envy; they go into camp at Caloundra for three or four months every year, while we always seem to be playing catch-up in terms of preparation time," said Woodward. "But this year, at least, we're matching them. This camp has been about the World Cup first and foremost and it's put a tremendous amount in the tank. When we get together again next month we'll be starting from a very high base and I think we'll see the benefits when the tournament begins."

However, England's match programme leading into the World Cup does not stack up against the Australian fixture list. Woodward's men will face no really serious examination after next week's Centenary Test in Sydney; they play the United States and Canada in August, followed by two gentle looseners against Premiership invitation sides in September, one of which will take place at Anfield, the home of Liverpool Football Club. The Wallabies, on the other hand, take on New Zealand and South Africa on a home and away basis. The word "gentle" does not spring to mind in their case.

"That could work both ways," said Woodward. "Whoever wins the Tri-Nations this summer will go into the World Cup with a big tick against their name. However, the side that does badly will have a lot of hard questions to answer. I'm pretty happy with the shape of our build-up; I think both Canada and the States will give us a tough physical work-out, which is exactly what we're looking for."

He is also looking for an early end to the desperate controversy surrounding his closest rugby soul-mate. That, though, will be much more difficult to arrange. Woodward may have raised the possibility of a 19 July reunion but, if truth be told, he did so more in hope than expectation.