Jonny Wilkinson's dramatic extra time drop goal in the 2003 Rugby World Cup kicked rugby into boom time with clubs experiencing a huge upsurge in youngsters wanting to play the game. 50,000 predominantly young players took up the sport in the two years following England's success and with another World Cup on the horizon there are ambitious plans to increase participation once again.

The Go Play Rugby Campaign, launched by the RFU, aims to attract 6,000 17-30 year old ex-players back to the game to provide a solid base for the sport and ensure the continuing success of the England team. There are countless rugby players that have drifted away from the game following school or university as other commitments and interests take over. Now is the time for these players to return and re-discover what made them fall in love with the game in the first place.

For those that want to get straight back into the action and experience the thrills and spills of the full 15-a-side game there are clubs waiting to welcome them with open arms. But there are other forms of the game that people can enjoy such as Touch, Beach Rugby and Sevens that can provide a healthy dose of exercise minus some of the physical rigours.

However rugby, more than any other sport, is not just about a couple of hours on the pitch on a Saturday afternoon. The camaraderie, team spirit, loyalty and friendships the game offers affects everyone whether it's in the changing room before the game or in the clubhouse enjoying a well earned pint afterwards.

So what are you waiting for? It's time to Go Play Rugby and find out more about this campaign with ex-England International, Will Greenwood. He'll also let you know his thoughts on how preparations for the autumn World Cup are going and how the team are plotting another assault on the Webb Ellis Trophy…

Will Greenwood joins us live online on Thursday 19th July at 14:30

H: Murray Norton, host
W: Will Greenwood

Hello and welcome to the Sports show, brought to you by the RFU, I'm Murray Norton and you're very welcome to the show today. Now let me take you back to the 22nd November, it was a Saturday, back in 2003 – what were you doing? Remember that kick? Remember 3 points from Johnny's boot and the Rugby World Cup will be ours? Yes, that was all of 4 years ago. Hard to believe, isn't it really? I'm delighted to say that one of the heroes of that England team has joined us right here on the Sports Show, it's very good to see you, Will Greenwood

W: Hello

H: Good afternoon to you sir. First of all I just want to know do you still get that warm glow, that feeling of pride that we all get from that effort?

W: It's more than a warm glow and a feeling of pride; I put my kit back on and want to relive it in my own living room. I have never watched the game in full, but I do watch clips and it takes me racing back to Sydney 2003 in the changing room afterwards and the changing room before. The banter and the chat and the occasional beer and then Buckingham Palace and the queen, all these amazing things that winning on that evening allowed us to do

H: Will you eventually watch it back in full or –

W: I've got a young lad called Archie and a daughter called Matilda. I think it's the sort of thing I might watch through in 25 years time and then I realise how far rugby's moved on and think my goodness didn't we play slowly in those days?

H: We'll talk about the 2007 World Cup very very shortly and England's chances there. Before we do all of that, because of Will and his team mates, they were so inspirational that some 50,000 youngsters took up the game following the world cup, and what a fantastic effort that all is. But rugby really wants you and they want you now. Why? Because they want to get people back out there again. Remember playing at school, remember playing for the club and then you drifted away from the game for whatever reason, there's loads of excuses, of course we've all got them – commitments of one form or another. You've got a job to do, you've got a wife and kids to look after. All those excuses still stand, however, there is still an opportunity for you to get back out there and Will is here to tell us how we can do that. It's part of a new initiative isn't it?

W: Yes the RFU are launching a campaign today, the Go Play Rugby Campaign which is the largest sporting initiative to recruit former members, to attract them back into the game. It's funded by the National Sports Foundation and various commercial sponsors and it has a very ambitious target, to attract 6000 players back to the game in under a year's time. That might – and the category we're looking at is the 18-30 year olds, as you say those that have gone to university, started work, started a family, worried about injuries and feel perhaps rugby is not appropriate for them at the moment. This is about getting them back on a rugby field, back at their local rugby club, reminding them what they're missing and reminding them what rugby can offer

H: Of course grassroots rugby is what we talk about a great deal and bringing that on, and we think of youngsters for that. Where do the 17-30 year olds fit in?

W: I think that's the area, the target of players that's started to disappear from the game, so many thousands of children as you've quite rightly said signed up and joined their local junior rugby club on a Sunday morning, straight after Johnny dropped that goal. Those numbers are still very very strong, and it's giving them the infrastructure, giving them the facilities whereby they can continue to go down there, having the coaches, having the bus drivers, having the guy working behind the bar, the secretary, the treasurer – all these roles within a rugby club within this community, this rugby community that need to be filled and throughout this summer and throughout the next 12 months the RFU with this Go Play Rugby campaign are giving everyone the ability to either go back and test the water again or even dip their toe in the water for the first time

H: It says what it is actually on the tin doesn't it really – Go Play Rugby?

W: Yes indeed and there's a lot of people – a very flexible approach, a lot of people are saying oh God I don't want to look like a rugby player, I don't want cauliflower ears, I don't want my arm broken, well that's not for you and the contact's not for you then there's tag rugby, there's touch rugby, there's beach rugby going on all over the country at all your local rugby clubs throughout the next 12 months. It's very simple, www.goplayrugby.com, have a look, text your postcode to 64411, they'll get you a text back telling you exactly where your local rugby club that is involved in the campaign is doing, and there are over 700 rugby clubs involved.

H: Wow

W: Over 130 universities and colleges involved, trying to attract that very large figure of 6000 players back to the sport. That's male and female.

H: Ok there's plenty for us to talk about and lots of questions for us to answer as well. From you, if you're watching this right now you'll see there's a little send box in a message box right underneath the screen – put your question in now, we'll try and get as many questions in and answered by Will in the short time that we have, so don't delay and get those questions in as soon as possible. Before we go to those questions though we took our camera crews down to Bath where the England team are currently training and preparing for the up and coming World Cup, to find out what it is that makes the game so special for them

Video footage

“I think rugby's always been on of the most social sports there is and really enjoyable. I think it's very multi-faceted and the great thing about rugby is all shapes and sizes can play it, you've obviously got props who can still be carrying a few pounds right through to the little scrum halves, so it's a great way to be with your friends and have an enjoyable drink afterwards.”

“The team spirit involved in rugby, the spirit, the social side, the camaraderie, the banter – it's a fantastically enjoyable time. Certainly where I grew up, I grew up in Preston where I started to play rugby, I went to school in Hutton Grammar school and also then started getting an association with Preston Grasshoppers Rugby club, and the time I had both at school and at the rugby club, fantastic.”

“People say they haven't got time. If you want to do something and it's something that you enjoy, get yourself sorted out, get yourself organised, speak to your lovely wife and say look I really want to go out, this is what I'm going to do for you – bit of give and take, get yourself down there and play some rugby.”

H: Well as you can see a great deal of passion being spoken about there, Will. I suppose the passion is the essence really of what you're trying to get over with Go Play Rugby?

W: Yes wonderfully passionate players and it doesn't matter if you're playing for England or playing for your local junior rugby club, those characters, those individuals are in every rugby club. These guys just happen to be a little bit more talented and slightly better at the game, but that doesn't matter, that's irrelevant. The changing room was exactly the same before our big game, the England game World Cup – the fat lads are eating their chocolate, the skinny lads are outside perhaps in there kicking, then we went outside and the fast lads run fast and it – they're the same characters across the board in every single changing room across the country. It's the bond you create between players, the camaraderie, the respect, and as you quite rightly say that passion that sort of embodies everything that is rugby that's at the forefront of everything you want to do, you're getting stuck in and you're part of this community, whether it be England, whether it be Lancashire, whether it be Preston Grasshoppers, whoever it is

H: Yes. Well you mention some of the clubs you play for, we'll come back to those in just a second. Questions coming in from viewers at the moment, thank you very much for those questions, do keep them coming in, one in from Nigel who's in – sorry to say this – Yorkshire

W: Yes

H: He's across the dark side from you

W: Yes

H: He's got a massive mortgage to pay off, a family to look after, he struggles to find the time to get involved yet he'd really love to help. He's getting a bit enthused about what we're doing here. A few hours on a Sunday maybe? Would that be of any use to my local club?

W: Oh completely, hugely – there's so many children who need facilities, who need someone to run a touch, someone to referee them, someone to give them basic skills, if you've played rugby before, then that might be the case. Tuesdays and Thursday nights are local club training, things you can give – come and stand behind the bar, serve a pint, go and do some number crunching – whatever it is that your strengths are, go and add that. Everything is needed in every single club

H: Yes. It's about getting involved and not everyone wants to get out there and play again

W: Exactly, we're not expecting of the 6000 players all of them to be pushing for selection for the World Cup in 2011, we're just wanting guys – guys and women to go down and if they want to play, play, if they want to touch, touch, if they want to be involved in the running of the club and the organisation of the club, part of growing a community because rugby clubs are tremendous communities

H: Sure. Another question coming in, this one's from Hugh, he says “this is such a great idea, me and my mates are from uni, we're really excited about getting involved in the game again” – this is the whole school thing again isn't it, and them being too busy. “Bit worried about our backs though.” He's 29 and a bit rickety

W: A rickety back, crikey – a lot of people do have rickety backs and again if the contact's not for you, then as I said there are tag and touch and these sorts of – and beach, the beach is wonderful for the back, but at the same time it's going down and being involved and being part of something special. Rickety back - the other thing there if you go along to your local rugby club they have tremendous physios, I'm sure physios will join up and go and help along, it might be that you just need a bit of loosening up and your warm-up routine might change. You might learn a few things about your own back and before you know it you'll be back playing first team rugby

H: Talking about young guys who obviously haven't got rickety backs, you yourself - I mean you retired from the game, what last year?

W: 12 months ago

H: And since then you've got the boots back on again

W: Yes I mean I've always, I mean this is particularly relevant to myself, I gave up in May 2006 and thought right that's it, the boots are going away, I'm not playing again, and then a call came from a couple of old university friends in January, I found myself on a plane to Bulgaria playing in a charity tournament out in Bulgaria, then I found myself at the Sevens in Newport Pagnell at Olney Rugby club a few weeks ago, and our bunch of boys, our old Durham University boys are going to have boots will travel and around and play a few more games. It was wonderful to be back in the changing room, I thought I'd have hated it, but the smell of deep heat, the smell of sweaty bodies, the small beverage after the game

H: Yes

W: And just the stories that you tell, you build a social circle of friends that last with you for life

H: When I think back actually the best times of your life were probably wit that group of guys playing those games, because I mean the stories get embellished as time goes on but it's like fishing stories, we've got to have something to talk about haven't we?

W: Exactly and the prop forwards who may score one try, I mean Jason Leonard played 114 times for England and scored one try, I personally should tell him why did he bother? But he loved the physical, the rough stuff, the contact, I'm sure by the end of it I know he scored it from a yard, I know when he tells his mates now he was about 75 yards, and all my tries and my impact on the Johnny drop goal is huge, I played a really key role. I never touched the ball in that particular passage play but it doesn't matter –

H: But you were controlling things weren't you?

W: Exactly, you need controllers

H: That story's going to get bigger as time goes on

W: Of course it will

H: In terms of enjoying the game, you enjoyed the game as much at grass roots level. I mean talking grass – Preston Grasshoppers for instance, I mean that was –

W: Yes Lightfoot Lane, one of my first senior club, I played at school, I was a Blackburn boy, and played rugby in Italy when I got 3, 4, 5 and 6 when my dad was playing out there, so I was very lucky that I was introduced to rugby very early as I was with football and cricket, and loved all those sports. Just being outside. This is a wonderful initiative because it's a drive I'm sure that a lot of governing bodies will follow, in trying to get people out, get people healthy, the Olympics in 2012, a healthy body and healthy people and a healthy lifestyle are so important to everyone and rugby is just one of those key sports, and to take this drive I think the Rugby Football Union have shown real initiative and the Go Play Rugby will be a tremendously successful campaign

H: Ok well all those questions are still coming in, and still a chance to get your question in to Will as quickly as you can though please, in the box at the bottom, press the send button, it comes straight through to us in the studio, we'll have a look at it here. Karl has just done that, so thank you Karl for that. “Will I need your help” – it says – “I'm in my mid 30s, married, kids, the whole nine yards.” Alright? “My mate is the skipper of the club Vets and he keeps nagging me to try and get back to play. I'm keen but my wife isn't. So have you got any smooth approach because I'd love to get back on the pitch” but he's having trouble convincing the loved one

W: Yes sneaking out the back door and trying to wash your kit on your own is not going to work. Be honest. Take her along. Take the kids with you, the kids will have a riot, if it's pouring down with rain they'll be jumping about in the mud, if it's a nice day there'll be a BBQ on or there'll be a bouncy castle, there'll be something going on for them to do. They'll love being outdoors in the fresh air

H: They'll love seeing their dad playing the Vets

W: The wives'll be along the touch line, get a taxi and have a bottle of Ambre Vascati or whatever it is you want to have on the touchline, and just get the whole family, it doesn't have to be about you going away for the afternoon, and not deserting the wife and the kids for 7 hours, it can be a family experience

H: But this whole thing, the Vets – we were talking about touch rugby and – but Vets get to play up to a ripe old age

W: Yes well everyone always wanted the purple shorts, I think if you wear purple shorts you have to be over 80 years old, it means no one can touch you. You can waddle around the field and stroll around the field and pass the ball. It's a different level of rugby. It's not all what you see on the telly when you see Dellalio, Corry – that doesn't happen all the way down. There are levels of rugby which this campaign is setting up which will allow people to participate in rugby to whichever level they want. You don't need to feel intimidated that you need to turn up with your jockstrap and gumshield and fly into people. That's not what this is about, it's about getting people back to their local rugby club and getting involved in some shape or form

H: And as you say it's not – we've mentioned it already, it's not just about being on the pitch, there's administrative roles, there's ground keeping roles, there's refereeing roles, there's the club house, there's all of that isn't there?

W: Indeed, there's a tremendous amount of rugby fields around the country, tremendous rugby clubs and it would be a shame for some of those to disappear because there aren't the facilities or there aren't the people to keep them running and that's what the RFU are trying to do with this campaign. All of those of you that have played, come back and if you haven't tried give it a go because it's an absolute bundle of laughs

H: Alright. Talking about a bundle of laughs and giving it a go, Samantha – how about girls? And you can answer this in any way you want, but we're talking rugby here. She'd like to play the game, it's her favourite sport. What are your thoughts on girls playing the game?

W: Well they made the world cup final

H: Yes

W: The women's team, they made the world cup final and lost to the All Blacks ladies' team in a tremendous fixture. The game in the UK, women's rugby is growing exponentially, there's so many clubs now getting involved, not to go all ground – look on the website, www.goplayrugby.com, text your postcode to 64411. The answers will come, where you can go, where you can get involved. Most rugby clubs now, not all but most rugby clubs now run wonderful ladies' sections, find out where it is, go get involved and get stuck in

H: Excellent. Jim wants to know about your tip for the world cup, good question this, it's up and coming

W: Yes

H: We said we'd talk about England's chances so firstly how do you rate England and secondly who's' your tip because it could be the same answer

W: I'll go round the other way, here's my tip I'll get it out the other way, I think the All Blacks are strong and I think they'll meet France in the final. I think England have struggled since we won it in 2003, for a variety of reasons which we won't go into now, it seems as though a lot of top players are back to form and fitness. The players themselves will believe they can go and win it and I think that's the most important thing, as supporters, we will all get behind them. In my role as a commentator and an analyst I get asked you know stick your head on the block, how far do you think they'll get? I think if England could make a semi-final they'd be absolutely delighted

H: That's the crunch match against South Africa –

W: Well we play South Africa on September 14th, I think it's 8 o'clock UK time, it'll be all over – it'll be on ITV that time, it'll be a tremendous occasion I'm sure, at half day the kettles will be on and there'll be a power surge because everyone will be watching it, it will be a tremendous fixture and it'll go a long way to deciding England's fate in this year's world cup

H: Ok, that's England semi-final, what about the winners?

W: That's what I'm hoping for. What about the winners? I think New Zealand will win it and I think they'll play France in the final. France – home advantage, there's only one team that's hosted it that hasn't made the final, that was Wales in 1999, apart from that the host nation has always made a final, so going with historical reasons and with a strong French side that's why I'd tip them, and I think New Zealand have been so strong over the last 24 months they'll have learned from their errors, they'd have got turned over easily against Australia, they look a very, very strong outfit

H: Alright, well we'll have to wait and see for all of that and see what comes up there. But it's going to be a pretty exciting world cup no matter what, and it's going to bring even more people out into the rugby field

W: Exactly and it's opportunities, with all the opportunities, you can watch the warm-up games with all these rugby clubs that you can find out, all to of them will be screening the world cup matches at their local rugby clubs, what a wonderful atmosphere to watch – if you can't get to France itself, what a great place to watch in your local rugby club with all your mates around you

H: Ok, just those text number again because if they text their postcode they can find out their rugby club, and that text number is

W: Text your postcode to 64411 and they will send you a text back informing you of where your nearest club is

H: Brilliant, and finally the website which is very easy?

W: www.goplayrugby.com and all the details about everything we've talked about this afternoon will be on it. It's an amazing drive that the RFU have initiated today and let's all get behind it

H: Will thank you very much indeed for joining us today; it's been a great pleasure to have you in the studio with us and answering so many questions, thank you very much indeed

W: My pleasure

H: And thank you very much indeed for joining us as well with your questions, they've been interesting and I hope we've managed to get through as many as we possibly can. We're going to leave you with an inspirational message from an icon of the modern game. Rob Andrew, these days is the director of Elite Rugby for the RFU but he still remembers what it was like for him and what first got him into the game of rugby. We'll see you again soon

“Go Play Rugby, this whole campaign is about getting people back into the game that have gone away from it and those people that haven't experienced it before to come and join the family, join the rugby family. Rugby is in people's blood, the vast majority of people never actually achieve the highest level but they spend a lifetime in the game, it literally becomes part of their life. Those of us that have been involved in the game for so long believe that it is the ultimate team sport, and once you're part of that team you have a support network around you for the rest of your life, and it's almost becoming more important now with the social agenda and the health agenda, which is – massively important to this country. If you talk to any of the team of players they have a great responsibility to the game and they actually know where they came from. Most of them will spend time going back to those clubs, so they really do understand, they don't get divorced from the real game and it's just the same at the club side as it is on the international side and there's still an enormous bond between the players.

The thing that I love more than anything else was just working with other people to make something happen. There's an enormous amount of respect in the sport and I think that's something that maybe in today's age, people are looking for things like that. Yes it's competitive and yes people want to win and do well, but underpinning the sport is this idea of respect and camaraderie. We're all part of the same sport, we're all part of the same game. Without the amateur game there would be no professional game. The guys that run out here start somewhere. Go Play Rugby – here we go, it's about getting hold of this again, about throwing it around, kicking it around. Some of you may never even see it, especially the front row forward, you probably weren't interested in the ball when you started playing anyway. You can just run around and have a fight with somebody, have a roll in the mud, do some scrimmaging, do a few line outs and let the fancy boys run around with the ball. We'll pass it and kick it. But it's about just going and having fun with your mates. You've got a family now, you've not played the game for 2 or 3 years but there's a rugby club just down the road. Get off your backside and get down there.”

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