Byline: PETER JACKSON
SHERYLLE Calder joined Clive Woodward's coaching team six months ago with instructions to open England's eyes to a whole new ball game.
An expert in 'visual awareness,' the 42-year-old South African has played a key role in preparing Martin Johnson's team for the World Cup Final. Her job is simply to give every player a clearer sight of what's around him when it comes to making splitsecond decisions.
Calder's appointment completed a batch of highly-qualified specialists carefully selected by Woodward as a central plank of his master-plan to give the best players in the country the best coaches and therefore no excuse for failing on the field through any lack of preparation.
Nothing is left to chance, least of all the food. England have brought their own chef with them, Dave Campbell, a 32-year-old Glaswegian. His presence is designed to eliminate any danger of the team suffering food poisoning, the fate which befell the All Blacks before the 1995 final in Johannesburg.
Campbell will send England off to work on a plate of poached eggs on toast and baked beans. For those who prefer something different, the alternative is spaghetti with a light bolognese sauce.
'This really has been the experience of a lifetime,' he said. 'My job is to prepare two hot meals a day for 50 people and I feel as though I've been living a dream.' The England coach has gone far and wide to study a host of other sports in picking the team behind the team. Defence coach Phil Larder came from rugby league and kicking guru Dave Alred learned his trade in American gridiron with the Minnesota Vikings in the late Seventies.
Calder, a sports scientist and former hockey international, is engaged in her third World Cup. She worked for the All Blacks in 1995 and for this year's victorious Australia cricket squad.
Her work, based on what she calls 'improving visual motor performance,' is so secretive that Woodward has kept her out of the limelight rather than risk any rival team learning from what she does.
'The eyes can be trained like any other part of the body,' Calder said in a rare interview. 'You've got six muscles in each eye and speed, movement and flexibility can all be improved.
'Some players have come to me and said they cannot believe the difference.
They are catching the ball better, seeing it better and timing it better.
'Guys like Jonny Wilkinson have used it as much as they could have done.
This squad are not just good because they are talented.
They are good because they work hard and their team ethos and dynamics are fantastic.'
The backstage team behind the team
COACH: Andy Robinson, 39.
Career: Bath, England and Lions flanker, Lions assistant coach.
DEFENCE COACH: Phil Larder, 58. Career: Broughton Park, Sale, Oldham (RL), Great Britain rugby league coach.
KICKING COACH: Dave Alred, 55. Career: Bristol, Minnesota Vikings (American football), Lions assistant coach.
FITNESS COACH: Dave Reddin, 34. Career: Bedford RFC, Boston United, Kettering Town.
SCRUM COACH: Phil Keith-Roach, 60. Career: Rosslyn Park.
THROWING COACH: Simon Hardy, 47. Career: Saracens, Wasps.
VISIONARY COACH: Sherylle Calder, 42. Career: South Africa (hockey), All Blacks (rugby), Australia, Pakistan, Surrey and Kenya (cricket).Worked on America's Cup with Prada.
VIDEO ANALYST: Tony Biscombe, 58.
REFEREE COACH: Steve Lander. 48. Former PE teacher now fulltime RFU and international referee.
COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: Richard Prescott, 41.
TEAM MANAGER: Louise Ramsay, British Olympic Association administrator at the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000.
TEAM DOCTOR: Simon Kemp, RFU's first head of medicine.
Grandson of former RFU president Dudley Kemp.Was once team doctor with Wellington Hurricanes and Premiership's Fulham.
PHYSIOTHERAPISTS: Phil Pask, Northampton's club physio. Used to play for the club.
Barney Kenny, experienced physio was has worked with England over the last few years.
MASSEUR: Richard Wegrzyk, toured Australia and South Africa with the Lions.
KIT TECHNICIAN: Dave Tennison, responsible for 80 pieces of kit for each player.
LEGAL ADVISER: Richard Smith, QC, 40.
CHEF: Dave Campbell, 32.
Works at Pennyhill Park Hotel where the England team stay before home matches.
