Knowledge management in the rugby team: a factor of England’s 2003 rugby world cup success

This paper aims to present how knowledge can be managed in a sport team, by using the example of the English national rugby team, which won the World Cup in 2003, under the management/coaching of Clive Woodward. The paper is based on the idea that knowledge management is a key driver of sporting success. The first part of the research presents a theoretical approach both on knowledge management in sport and on obtaining success in rugby. Then, there follows a presentation about how knowledge was created at the English rugby team, and how it helped in winning the World Cup. An important role is played by the manager, who is seen as the initiator of knowledge in the team. Few research has been done on knowledge management in sport, and in order to be as explicit as possible, the paper tries to combine the theory – built on ideas of experimented writers, such as Nonaka – with the practice observed at the English national rugby team between 1997 and 2003.