John Edward Woodward (17 April 1931 â 16 January 2017) was an English international rugby union player.
Raised in Lane End, Buckinghamshire, Woodward was the son of a butcher and picked up rugby during his time at Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe, having previously been an England schools representative footballer.
Woodward, at 6 ft 1 in and 15 st, was significantly larger than most wing three-quarters of his day and still possessed enough pace to be a schoolboy sprint champion. He played his rugby with Wasps and as a teenager scored a hat-trick of tries to hand them victory in the 1948 Middlesex Sevens final against Harlequins. From 1952 to 1956, Woodward gained 15 England caps, debuting as a 20-year-old. He scored six tries for England, including two in their unbeaten 1953 Five Nations-winning campaign.
Woodward was the brother-in-law of England flanker Ron Syrett, through his sister Jean.