Woodward has come under fire from former internationals for his tactics in the 20-15 defeat at the Stade de France.

However, an unrepentant Woodward said he remains committed to his ideals and his quest to make England the best in the world - and will never choose the safety-first option.

"It is very easy to say 'let's play it a lot more safer', which was the old brand of English rugby, certainly the brand I had to play which I hated," he said.

"I was determined as a coach I was going to do this my way. It is not based on any romantic notion, it is based on being the best side in the world and I am quite happy doing that than taking the easy option and trying to be fourth or fifth.

"We are trying to be a bit different - some people don't like it but what they think is not going to change how I coach."

Woodward admitted mistakes had been made in the France match but complained that having so little time to brief the England players before internationals on a more flexible approach caused problems.

"That is what we are working on, and it is not easy, especially when you are under pressure and we made one or two wrong decisions. It is as simple as that," he told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"Hands up, we made a couple of mistakes tactically but what we are trying to do is do it in the heat of the battle.

"I think it is wrong to send a team out on to the pitch with a very rigid tactical game as it will not win you matches against the top teams in the world - you need to be flexible.

"I think we have got to keep this flexibility and do what we are doing. We lost a big game but we have won a lot of big games doing it the way I am trying to do it."