Bosses can learn from attention to detail that won the world cup, says Jason Robinson

SCORING a try in a world cup final earned Jason Robinson a place among rugby union’s all-time greats.
Jason Robinson  Picture Bruce RollinsonJason Robinson  Picture Bruce Rollinson
Jason Robinson Picture Bruce Rollinson

He played a pivotal role in the nail-biting extra time victory over Australia in the 2003 final.

Mr Robinson, who mastered the switch from rugby league to rugby union with skill and flair, is now on a mission to help sportsmen and consumers lead healthier lives.

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The Leeds-born Mr Robinson believes business people can learn a lot from the team-building model used by Sir Clive Woodward, who guided the England rugby union team to world cup glory almost 16 years ago.

Mr Robinson has taken on a business development role at Fuzion 100, a sports drink that has secured partnerships with England Rugby, Huddersfield Town, British Tennis and Leicester Tigers.

Mr Robinson told The Yorkshire Post that he was passionate about promoting health and wellbeing as part of his business career.

He said he was concerned about the rising levels of obesity, adding: “There are so many things that are a contribution to a bad lifestyle.”

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He said that he had developed a number of business interests after retiring from rugby. He also planned to launch a healthcare app in the near future.

Mr Robinson, who played 51 times for the England rugby union team, said there were many lessons that he learned as a sports professional that were relevant to the business world.

He added: “There are so many things (you can learn) just being around a high performing team and being around so many people with different ideas.”

During his time as England rugby union team coach, Sir Clive employed a “teamship” approach, which aimed to create an environment that was so good nobody wanted to leave.

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“I was blown away (by Sir Clive’s) attention to detail,’’ said Mr Robinson.

He recalled: “We had the right structure and the right coaches. We used techniques to analyse ourselves and our own game and we looked at every area.

“How could we be better, fitter, faster and stronger?”

He believes business leaders should emulate the world cup winning team’s approach to dealing with adversity.

He said: “There will be times when you don’t get it right but then you have to steady the ship. The natural instinct is to try and fix it on your own. We had to do it as a collective as well.

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“The great thing about rugby is because it’s a physical game, people have to have your back. We all have complete focus on the team goal as opposed to any individual goals.

“We bought into the vision, We wanted to be the world’s best. Everybody buys in and everybody has a say.”

He also believed that it was vital to listen to your peers, especially when you are entering a new sector or discipline.

During his career, Mr Robinson mastered the switch to rugby union to establish himself as one of its greatest players. But he was always willing to listen to his international colleagues.

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Mr Robinson added: “When I came to rugby union there were so many things I needed to learn from Jonny Wilkinson, Lawrence Dallaglio and Martin Johnson.”

“There is so much that people can learn from Sir Clive; from his mindset and his work ethic.”

In recent years, Sir Clive has been a regular speaker at events in Yorkshire that aim to boost economic growth.

He was the keynote speaker at a Collaborative Professionals Network event at Leeds Beckett University where he urged Yorkshire’s business leaders to become “a real sponge for new knowledge”.

Sir Clive is also appearing at the “DNA of a champion event” at the John Smith’s Stadium in Huddersfield on March 1.