The Test against the French was a ripper of a game to watch, and both teams went out to play attacking, running rugby.  The All Blacks have been saying they are close to playing their style of game, the one with crisp clean passing, running into gaps, using space, using the ball as well as super defense, setting goals of no tries against.  Well in my opinion, they nailed it on Sunday morning. The best game I have seen in a long while from the boys in black.

So, since the game the old brain matter has been thinking about what the difference has been between each game and why they haven’t been able to play the style they wish to.  The coaches have a collective group of players in each position that they have picked to play the type of game which is their “Game Plan”.   These players all know what’s required of them, so I would imagine each practice would be on the game plan.  So why is it that they can run about with 30 players and practice a game plan each training then completely stuff it up come game time?

Each of the coaching staff have a set influence on the team, and each comes together to produce this game plan.  Against Italy it should have been the style played as against the French, but it didn’t come off….why?  The players practiced it al week, does it really matter the Delany was in instead of Carter?  Did the Ref really have that much of an influence on the game that the AB’s couldn’t pass in front of the man and put players into gaps?  Did the Italians play that well to nullify all attacks?  Same with the Welsh and English?

My opinion is a lot of it involves the top 6 inches of the players. The coaches are there to get it right in that department, the brain.  Confidence plays a massive part in sport, and for the AB’s it’s worth 10 points before each game.  I also believe they may have targeted the French game as the one to really attack.  Payback time, the Gallagher trophy, and to prove a point.  Is this all due to having a different head space to other teams/games or not?  Did the other teams play a defensive approach and the French play a attacking approach which was the difference?

Get it right up top and it all comes together, I know this from playing rugby as well as golf.  Some days it would be pissing down, cold and I just wouldn’t be up for it.  Some times I would be thinking about a game for days and have a ripper.  How do you get yourself up for every game, when you have targeted a certain team/game, and is this the reason the AB’s didn’t hit their straps prior to the French Test?