Fighting back

England's Greenwood playing through personal tragedy

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Will Greenwood has special reason to cherish an England Grand Slam after having to overcome personal tragedy, reports Rugby World magazine.

AS if hoping to finally win a Grand Slam with England during the RBS Six Nations, not to mention the World Cup looming in Australia in the autumn, isn't enough to contend with, Harlequins center Will Greenwood has another major goal this year borne out of tragic and very personal adversity.

Last September his baby son, Freddie, died 45 minutes after birth, some four months premature.

It was a devastating blow to the England center and to his fiancée Caro, which left the couple distraught.

Within a couple of months of losing his child, Greenwood was playing and excelling for England during their triple whammy of victories over the big three from the southern hemisphere, a collective triumph for Clive Woodward's team, and an individual miracle for Greenwood after such a distracting and depressing period.

Now, six months on from Freddie's death, Will and Caro have responded positively and progressively to their personal trauma by joining forces with the Tommy's baby charity.

They hope to raise money for research into prematurely ruptured membranes through a major sporting ball on March 13 at the Hilton Hotel in London's Park Lane.

"It was late December when we suddenly decided we wanted to do something to help ensure what happened to us won't happen to many more," Greenwood, 30, explains.

"At first we thought about organising our own ball, possibly in September, but then we realised we might be biting off more than we could chew.

"By then Caro and I will have married in July, in her home town, in Norfolk, and I'm obviously looking to be part of the England World Cup squad as we play some test matches in preparation and go into training for the actual competition."

Things fell into place after Greenwood was approached by a lifelong Harlequins supporter called Harry Keogh. "Harry had been following Quins long before I first joined them in 1994," Greenwood says.

"He told us about the Tommy's sporting ball at the Hilton and asked us if we'd like to put Freddie's name to it. That's why the ball is now labelled in memory of Freddie Greenwood.

"Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, will be there as patron, and I'm hoping a lot of major sporting stars will be coming, such as the England rugby team and some of the players from Manchester United."

Proceeds will be shared between the Tommy's campaign in Manchester and a London-based project called CIRCLE, standing for Cerclage In Relation to Cervical Length, which monitors women considered to be at high risk of a prematurely ruptured membrane.

"Both Caro and I realise that by staging one ball the problem isn't going to go away in one night, but we're hoping to raise enough money and awareness to sponsor research for another year. I'll be speaking at the dinner and both Caro and I are looking forward to it. A thousand people will be coming and we're looking at it not as a poignant memory of Freddie, but more a celebration of his short life. After this, who knows what might happen? I'd like to think it will become an annual event. Whatever else, it is a start."

Up for the job

Such is the professionalism and honesty of the current England squad that when it came to selection decisions concerning the autumn Internationals, no one even needed to ask whether Greenwood, just returned to playing rugby in the aftermath of losing Freddie, was mentally up for the job.

"There wasn't any reason why I shouldn't have been ready to play," he insists.

"If I had been dropped from the starting XV it would have been for form reasons and form reasons alone. And if there had been doubts at all concerning my state of mind during those three Tests I would have been the first to have held my hands up."

Greenwood played the first half of England's win over the All Blacks before injury struck, and then started against Australia and South Africa, scoring two tries against the Springboks.

"It was a case of just getting on with it. Rugby, after all, is not only my passion, it's also my job. I have responsibilities to myself and to my loved ones. I was hit very hard by this personal tragedy.

"Besides, rugby has provided a slight release from all the despair of the past few months. When you're about to make a big tackle you've got to concentrate completely on your job; otherwise, you'll not only let your team down, you're likely to end up getting injured as well. It's been a form of release for me, that's for sure."

Hammer blow

Greenwood, along with his England teammates, was dealt another hammer blow at the start of the Six Nations, when it emerged that England scrum-half Nick Duncombe had died of sudden illness, while training in Lanzarote.

There was a minute's silence before the match against France and Greenwood says: "It was very difficult to deal with, but, standing there, you asked yourself a few questions. Nick was passionate about his rugby and as heart-broken as we were we had to go out and do the job at Twickenham."

A Grand Slam would help to lift spirits in the England camp and Greenwood says: "I think we've proved how difficult it is to win a Slam. Last year we won nine out of 10 matches, but ultimately we still felt hugely disappointed because of that defeat to France in Paris.

"I think we're all in danger of losing perspective here, though. For many international teams their season is made if they can beat the English. It was the same at Leicester when I was there in club rugby. I mean, how many teams go to Paris and win? I don't think the big three from the southern hemisphere have done it too often over the years, have they? So sometimes we haven't given the teams who have beaten us enough credit.

"That said, there have also been some rather glaring slip-ups in recent years. Nobody is more disappointed than the players over this, and we're pretty desperate to put it right. Apart from anything else, coming through games such as France and Ireland away can only be good preparation for the World Cup later in the year."

The World Cup looms over this Six Nations, no matter how much everyone insists it couldn't be further from their thoughts.

"Let's put it this way," Greenwood says, "the other reason why it's crucial we have a good Six Nations is because if we don't then half the players won't be on that plane going to the World Cup in Australia. There's a long queue of players just waiting for one of us to slip up. The strength in depth in English rugby is now that good, which obviously keeps the current team on their toes. If we don't deliver, or at least perform during the Six Nations, then they will get their chance. Clive's already proved, rightly, that reputations and past form count for very little these days in Test rugby.

"Also, by winning a Grand Slam we'll have something really tangible to show for all our hard work, talent and efforts. It's been frustrating to have been in a position to win so many Slams over recent years and not won any of them. Winning this time would really boost our confidence ahead of the World Cup."

As for the World Cup, Greenwood has two major lessons to bring from the previous one in 1999. "We must win our group, and we can't afford to leave our performances on the training pitch," he says.

"Losing to New Zealand in the group last time placed us in all kinds of trouble. Although the set-up is a little different this time, and there will be no play-offs, it's still imperative to beat South Africa and win our group. It looks like it would make our lives quite a bit easier if we do.

"We just didn't show up in Paris when we played South Africa in the quarter-final four years ago. We'd left it all behind on the training field. We can't afford to do that again. Never mind the huge expectation from everyone else - we have a huge expectation on ourselves for the World Cup. For me this represents my second and last chance at World Cup level and as far as I'm concerned we just have to deliver."

Is Greenwood guaranteed a place in the England World Cup team? As one of the top try-scorers in his country's history, and chief marshaller of England's defense, only a sharp drop in form is likely to deprive him. In what position, though? Greenwood has proved equally adept at inside and outside-center.

"I enjoy 12," he says, "though I love playing for England, so I'd play anywhere. Inside-center is my preferred position because I get my hands on the ball, I'm not required to outsprint too many from there, and I'm in the thick of the action. That's how I like it."

Will Greenwood, together with Caro, will be in the thick of an altogether different action in the middle of March, too. Knowing Greenwood, driven by the greatest motivation possible, he will make as big a success of his project as he has of his rugby career. Which will be a fitting tribute to Freddie.

 

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