What’s happening people? Sorry for the delay in getting this to you, but I wanted to make sure this one was done right because it is a bit of a hot topic in sport at the moment. What I want to talk about today is how players must learn to compete under pressure and learn to both win and lose.

As the competitive rugby season as come to an end, players have time to sit down and reflect on what they have accomplished and learnt from the past eight months of grafting around the paddock. Our under 15’s, at the start of the season were a bit of a make shift squad, our younger under 16s and older under 14s combined to make a sweet recipe of powerful forwards, slick backs and a team of 20 lads that can throw the ball about to play a Fijian-esque style of rugby. Throughout the season the team were unstoppable, racked up some big wins against good opposition and were deserving of their place in the plate final.

However, this is where the fairy tale story becomes a reality. The final was played in St Andrews. One heck of a journey for our lads and unfortunately, they didn’t get off the bus until the second half. They were not as sharp as usual, missing tackles they wouldn’t normally, boys who talk too much were not talking enough and the ball seemed like a bar of soap at times. This is where players need to learn to compete, travel is a huge part of sport and players need to individually learn what they can do to cope with this. Me personally, I like to drink lots of water during the trip, eat something about an hour before we are supposed to arrive, and talk to other players about the game plan for the day.

Players also need to learn how to cope with the pressure of “finals footy”. To me, it’s a whole different kettle of fish to league matches. You only have 80 minutes to do everything you can to win, there is no place for slow starts, or running out of puff in the final quarter. Even how you plan on accumulating points has to change. Think back to the 1995 world cup. The all blacks went for tries in the corner, whereas the south Africans kicked everything they could. Who won? South Africa! Players need to be taught the skill/ability to change their mindset in these types of games and this is where you see your naturally leaders set up to the plate and take the reins.

No point crying over spilt milk though, the boys need to look to the future and think about what they need to do over the summer to make sure they are lifting silverware next season.

However, this is easier said than done… Some people can find it difficult to bounce back after disappointment and I know we have lost plenty of good players over the years because of this very reason. How do we overcome this though? Number one, just talk about it! there are winners and losers in sport and you simply can’t win them all. Also, this is where a good coaching set up really comes into play. Imagine being 15 again, the last thing I wanted to do was listen to my old fella’s advice on what was going to make me a better player… This is part of a coach’s job, they are an older ear that has been there and down that just like parents but guess what? Kids are going to listen to anyone but their parents. After this, target setting. If a player has a skill that is lacking or if they need to up one part of their game to get to the next level, you sit down and make a program to reach it. finally, keep playing! Sounds simple, but lots of players just don’t want to train after such disappointment, this though isolates individuals and you can seamlessly fade out of the picture.

But, on a more positive note, players also need to learn how to win. Thankfully rugby has always taught this, shaking hands after the game, three cheers for each team and clapping teams off the pitch. We go the extra distance too, putting a feed on after the game, post-match awards for both teams and the chance to have a yarn with the opposition. You don’t see that in many other sports and I don’t believe it is advertised enough to the modern generation of players. There is nothing better than the man you were battling against for 80 minutes comes over and cracks a joke about something that happened during the game. On the very few occasions I have seen a poor winner, it’s an individual not a team. It’s not the opposition nor the officials that say anything, but their own team mates that tell them to rain it in a bit. Just another reason rugby is the best sport in the world!

Chur

Community and Rugby Development