Alred reveals the secrets behind Wilkinson's success

Man behind England's kicking phenomenon celebrates after 16 years in wilderness as World Cup success clicks at turnstiles

When Jonny Wilkinson kicked that winning drop goal, with his weaker right foot, in last weekend's Rugby World Cup final it was not just the climax of four years' intense preparation, it marked the culmination of a 24-year crusade by one man - Dave Alred, the England kicking coach.

Back in 1979 Alred returned to this country after playing American football for the Minnesota Vikings to find himself an outcast in rugby union because he had been paid for playing and was therefore tainted in the eyes of the then amateur game's rulers.

There then followed some 16 years of furtive training sessions in remote corners of training grounds, and stints with the likes of Stuart Barnes, Jon Webb and Mike Catt during which Alred had to wear a balaclava to obscure his features.

"It has been a long haul," admitted Alred, 55, amid the chaos of the England party's return on Tuesday morning. "In the beginning people were sceptical about the need for a kicking coach. I am not sure what they think now."

His first pupil was Alastair Hignell, the Bristol and England full-back, who spotted Alred at training on the back pitch of the Memorial Ground.

"I was practising my kicking and this guy very kindly kept kicking the balls back to me, higher and further than any of my kicks and I wondered if he was some hopeful after my place in the Bristol team. But he said he had been in the States where he had learned about kicking and offered to coach me. I accepted. In those days the notion of kicking being a science was very sophisticated."

Alred added: "I had to coach them incognito because I was not allowed to. I used to wear a balaclava in the training sessions, because I was regarded as a professional."

Thankfully, he was still around in a more enlightened age and the professionals accepted he had something of value to offer. He became Rob Andrew's kicking guru, then went with the Lions on the 1997 tour to South Africa where he coached the Wales international Neil Jenkins. When Andrew took over at Newcastle and Wilkinson emerged it was only natural that he should be placed in Alred's care - to telling effect.

Alred is clearly proud of Wilkinson, but one of the first things he did was to banish the notion of his pupils being right- or left-footed.

"With kicking we do not accept there is a weaker foot. There is simply a different foot. In the sessions we kick into a net which is placed only a yard away, so the kicker really does learn to kick off both feet.

"During the tournament Jonny and Paul Grayson went through a drill which saw them making 10 kicks off each foot so that the act of kicking became one of behaviour rather than one of skill. Thus if your left is blocked, you simply turn it onto your right foot. The idea is to make the whole act of, in this case a drop kick, second nature, so that when they spot a opportunity instinct just takes over and bang, they go through with the kick without worrying about which foot they are using."

Alred has honed his techniques by taking his skills into different sports. "I have worked with David James the England and West Ham goalkeeper and I have found that the more you work with other sports, the better you become as a coach in your own sport.

"I came back with an idea from Gaelic football which - without going into technicalities - really helped me in terms of coaching rugby. One of the things I picked up from Aussie rules has had a direct benefit in my coaching of soccer."

Success also depends on a huge commitment from his players. "Jonny practises on Christmas Day, but what you have to remember is that it is a job, it is a profession. You get enjoyment from the kickaround and so practising on Christmas Day is no big deal."

With so many fine kickers having passed through his hands, Alred is amply qualified to say who is the best, but he refused. "I don't like saying Jonny is the best kicker I have ever coached. He is unique in some areas, but there are areas where he isn't as good as others.

"I don't think there is anything really different about Jonny. Perhaps the one element in which he is unique is in the consistency of his goal-kicking, in terms of the set-up. But his concentration at a goal kick is no greater than any of the other kickers I coach. I impress on them that there is no kick that is more important than the one they're making. And when you do that it helps you clear your mind. That is the process that has been developed."

Alred insisted he knew that Wilkinson would get a shot at goal as time began running out. "I knew the forwards were going to give Jonny an opportunity. They knew exactly what had to be done. They had to get closer. It was a very deliberate process of getting into the perfect position, and obviously the drop goal then followed."

But Alred revealed that the pitch was not perfect, and presented Wilkinson with another problem: "It was windy, the conditions were slippery underfoot and that pitch did cut up. Although it looked green, if you went up close, all the divots had green paint on them. So when we practised there it was not perfect, and the biggest problem with drop goals is that if the drop is not quite right and the ball hits a slight divot or a lump, you cannot control the kick.

"But for that winning kick everything was right, the set-up, the drop and the execution; cause and effect, and the ball went over." Simple really.