Controlling the controllable
27 Sep 2010
MARK KEOHANE, in his weekly Business Day column, says players can only control themselves — which is why they have to stay fit.
I missed the last three minutes of the Lions’ victory against the Sharks, but the first 77 minutes again highlighted how important fitness is to succeeding in sport.
The Lions defended more than they would have liked in the opening 40 minutes and there was a suspicion that the first-half tackling would be their undoing in the last 10 minutes and that the home team would not have the fitness levels to last the pace.
A lack of fitness has been synonymous with any Lions performance in the past three to four years, perhaps even before that. Bizarrely, the players did not see the importance of being fit and conditioned to play rugby. The coaches believed it to be the responsibility of the players and it was one bloody mess after the other.
Lions coach John Mitchell, during his two years as All Blacks coach, and as coach of Australia’s Western Force, has not relented on the fitness of his players. He has always believed that if a player has something left in his legs in the final minutes of a brutal contest, that player has got a chance to finish a winner.
When I worked with the Springboks between 2000 and 2003, one of the more enjoyable experiences was a workshop with a Jamaican sports psychologist and motivator, and while I forget his name I’ll never forget the one exercise he did the with players.
He asked the team why they believed they were losing and as the players answered he would jot down the reasons.
The media were ‘anti the team’, said a player, and it was why they were losing.
The referees were anti-SA and it was impossible to play against any team who had the referee on their side, said another. Late kick-off times made it impossible to be at their best, said a few players.
Other reasons were the weather conditions, the quality of the opposition, match venues, the lack of good training facilities when overseas, the location of the hotel, the bus time to training and match-day engagements, jerseys that were either too heavy or too tight and in the odd instance too big. And, said one, don’t get us started on the hotel food.
The sports psychologist wrote down each answer on a flip chart without countering any of the reasons. He just called for more and the players responded. Team selection, they said, was not always good. The coach’s game plans were not always that sound and there was uncertainty in understanding the thinking of the coach.
‘What about you guys?’ he asked. ‘What is it you are doing — or not doing — that is contributing to losing?’
Some players looked surprised at the question. The odd one even looked shocked at the mere suggestion the players may be responsible for anything.
One player said he could be fitter. Another said he could work harder at his skills. Another added there could be greater communication within the team.
It was at this point that the friendly consultant reacted to a player’s comment.
‘Can you guarantee me the communication will be better in the team and that there will be a better team spirit and a winning culture?’
The player said he couldn’t give such a guarantee because he couldn’t talk on behalf of his team-mates and he couldn’t necessarily influence them positively to do what he believed would benefit a winning culture.
‘Exactly,’ said the consultant. ‘And you can’t control what the media say or write. You can’t control who the opposition coach selects, where the game is played, what time the match starts and playing conditions.’
The player could also not control the coach or the coach’s thinking. All the player had control over was himself, and as a professional sportsman the only guarantee a player could give was that he was in optimum physical shape for every game and that every day was an opportunity to improve his skills .
‘Is that it?’ asked a Bok player. That these were the only things the players had to worry about just emphasised how much there was to worry about, because being fit and skilled are not minor details in the life of a sporting professional.
Mitchell has ensured an environment that rewards those with something in their legs at 77 minutes, but if this Lions team is to develop into the real deal then hopefully the players will believe in the controllable elements of their sport and not seek comfort in hiding behind what they can’t control.
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192 Comments
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27 Sep 2010, 16:26 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-147:
Hey I have to totally agree with you about the claim of senility, and possibly worse, wrt that one in “darkest Africa”. Go read the last post I made on that EP thread from Saturday to understand why I say so.
Damn bad luck about the cricket yesterday(I watched it sadly) but those top IPL teams are virtually international sides and the Warriors are just a provincial outfit.
However, much better news about the Kings as they are in the play-offs for promotion. They just have to beat SWD to better their chances of promotion to the top flight and truly silence Saru about the level of their game and worthiness of S15 status.
27 Sep 2010, 16:29 pm
Smit rejects mystery offer
2010-09-27 15:50Email | Print
John Smit (File)
Cape Town – Springbok skipper John Smit has confirmed he’s turned down an offer from the Lions – an offer the Lions last week went to great lengths denying they ever made.
Writing on his social networking Twitter site, Smit tweeted on Monday afternoon: With time to reflect I happily signed an extension with the Sharks for the next year after months of tempting approach from Lions. Go Sharks!
Smit confirmation that’s he’s elected to stay in Durban next season contradicts Golden Lions Rugby Union president Kevin de Klerk’s statement last week denying that Smit had turned down a lucrative offer from the Lions.
“I would like to clarify the rumours that have circulated in the media regarding Springbok captain John Smit ‘turning down a lucrative offer with the Lions to remain at the Sharks’, the statement read.
“Contrary to what has been presented to the public, the Golden Lions Rugby Union never engaged with John Smit at any stage whatsoever regarding joining the Lions. We did have discussions of him possibly joining us, but we decided against making an offer at this stage.
“I would like to emphasise that at no stage did the GLRU make an offer to John Smit”, de Klerk said.
Smit underwent a successful operation to repair a chronic cervical disc on Wednesday last week. As a result, Smit will be sidelined for three months and will therefore be unavailable for the Springbok tour to Europe in November and December.
Who’s lying?
27 Sep 2010, 16:30 pm
@WP Till I Die(WP-Forever)-149:
Man oh! man I do have to agree with you unreserdedly.
And especially when it is spring and close to October.
Sill remember .. ” Dit is die mannd Oktober die mooiste, mooiste maand….”?
And not to forget ‘die Streeptruie wen aanhoudend nou weer’.
27 Sep 2010, 16:32 pm
-150:
And Sea Point is not what we genuine Capetonians call The Peninsula?
Forgotten your medication again?
27 Sep 2010, 16:33 pm
@ET(ET)-153:
Well, we have not been able to boast much in the last few years.
I would be extremely happy if we can possibly win the Currie Cup again, for the first time since 2001…
27 Sep 2010, 16:33 pm
@ET(ET)-154:
should be “not on…”
27 Sep 2010, 16:36 pm
I was having a look at Currie Cup records in general, and was pleasantly surprised to see the name of Kennedy Tsimba, who holds the fourth (230 points) and fifth (228 points) highest individual points in a season for the Cheetahs, back in 2002 and 2003.
What ever happened to him?
27 Sep 2010, 16:37 pm
@WP Till I Die(WP-Forever)-155:
Ja I would not also go about counting our chickens before they hatch.
But I am more interested in the big one and unfortunately it is now a diluted S15 as opposed to a S14 which to me is the biggest and best provincial competition thus far.
Got to run now WP.
27 Sep 2010, 16:39 pm
Control the controllables is cool if you’re not subject to overarching idiocy.
If you’re rowing a boat and the cox keeps going in circles you will eventually protest.
PdV is a flailing fool, and we’re all fools to allow it to continue.
27 Sep 2010, 16:39 pm
@WP Till I Die(WP-Forever)-157:
I suppose he’s retired now, he is after all 36 years old. Last I heard he had signed for the Pumas for the 2007 season?
He was the Currie Cup Player of the Year in 2002, scored over a thousand points for the Free State (2000 to 2004); he also played for Bath in England, and represented the Bulls and the Cats in the (then) Super 12. He moved to the Blue Bulls in 2005, but saw precious little game time, and then decided to play out his career for the Pumas.
27 Sep 2010, 16:42 pm
@WP Till I Die(WP-Forever)-149:
I say that everytime someone asks me where I am from and I had need to asnwer that question yesterday to a German and Costa Rican pair at the poolside and of course that takes them to offer plaudits for the World Cup just completed.
27 Sep 2010, 16:45 pm
@WP Till I Die(WP-Forever)-160:
Last time I read something this season he was playing for some club side in S.A.
There was a small piece written on this Keo site.
27 Sep 2010, 16:45 pm
say when is PdV’s appraisal? isn’t it tomorrow?
27 Sep 2010, 16:45 pm
@157:WPTID
Was he not the kicking coach, or something like that, at the Pumas?
27 Sep 2010, 16:46 pm
Now here’s something I never knew! The All Blacks lost to Rhodesia in 1949!
27 Sep 2010, 16:50 pm
@nama1(nama1)-164:
Jy is skaars deesdae? Seker die teleurstelling met die 1/6 TNs?
Onthou dis net a sport en nie die ernstige lewe nie.
Moet nou loop.
27 Sep 2010, 16:55 pm
@ET(ET)-168:
Gee eers aandag aan my studies. Sal teen middel Okt. meer tyd he vir Keo.
Mooi loop.
27 Sep 2010, 16:57 pm
@ET(ET)-156:
now who’s forgotten their medication?
27 Sep 2010, 16:57 pm
@WP Till I Die(WP-Forever)-160:
not at griffons?
27 Sep 2010, 17:01 pm
@WP Till I Die(WP-Forever)-165:
and cane still offers excuses for that.
something about long train journies if i remember correctly
8)
27 Sep 2010, 17:11 pm
Wow – when tours were still tours:
On 31 May 1949 the All Blacks played and beat Western Province Universities 11-9 in Cape Town.
They then travelled by bus to Wellington for the match against Boland on 4 June, which they won 8-5.
Then they got on a train to Oudtshoorn, travelling for 24 hours, arriving to play South Western Districts on Wednesday 8 June, a match they won 21-3. The very next afternoon they were back on a train, this time travelling for Port Elizabeth – they arrived at 07:30 on the Friday morning, the day before they took on Eastern Province, a team then with six Springboks in its side – they won this match 6-3.
The next day, the Sunday morning, they departed by bus at 09:00, had lunch in Grahamstown, and arrived in East London that evening at 18:00.
They played Border on 15 June, losing 0-9. The next morning it was on the bus again, travelling through the Transkei to Kokstad where they spent the night; the next day they lunched in Pietermaritzburg and arrived in Durban at around 17:00. The next day they played, and beat, Natal 8-0.
Then they got on an “express” train to Potchefstroom, to played Western Transvaal on 22 June, a match they won 19-3. The next day back on a train, this time for Johannesburg – they played a Transvaal XV on 25 June, a match they won 6-3. Next by train was Kroonstad, where they drew 9-9 against Orange Free State on 29 June. Next up was a trip to Springs, where they lost to Eastern Transvaal 5-6 on 2 July.
Next up came the brutally long trip from Johannesburg to Cape Town, spending two nights on the train. They beat Western Province 6-3 on 9 July. They had a week’s rest, playing the First Test against South Africa at Newlands on 16 July, a match they lost 15-3. After the First Test, they took the Blue Train to Johannesburg; this time the trip was only 26 hours, instead of 35. They beat Transvaal 13-3 on Saturday 23 July; that same night they boarded a train, this time bound for Bulawayo; they arrived the Monday morning. They then took the train to Victoria Falls, arriving the Tuesday morning; on Tuesday night they went back to Bulawayo, arriving on the Wednesday morning. They lost 10-8 to Rhodesia later that day (27 July), having spent four days on the train. They then took the overnight train to Salisbury, getting to spend a single night in a hotel, before drawing against Rhodesia on 30 July; then it was back on the train again the next night. On their way to Pretoria, their train collided with an oncoming train. They eventually arrived in Pretoria on the Wednesday morning. They had two days’ rest, then they beat Northern Transvaal that Saturday 6-3. Then they had a week to rest before the Second Test at Ellis Park, which they lost 6-12. They next played Northern Universities on 17 August, a match they won 17-3. Then it was back on the train, this time travelling to Kimberley to beat Griqualand West 8-6 three days later. Another train trip, this time to Aliwal North, to play and beat North-Eastern Districts on 24 August by 28-3.
Three days later they played Orange Free State a second time, this time in Bloemfontein, a match they won 14-9. Another long train trip, this time to Durban; they played South Africa in the Third Test there at Kingsmead on 3 September, losing 3-9. They then boarded a ship, the Pretoria Castle, to East London, where they played Border a second time a week later, drawing 6-6.
Next was a bus to Port Elizabeth for the Fourth Test on 17 September, which they lost 8-11. They boarded another ship, the Warwick Castle, bound for Cape Town, for one last fun match against Cape Town Clubs on 21 September, which they drew 11-11.
25 matches played in the space of about a 110 days.
The sheer amount of travel involved…
27 Sep 2010, 17:14 pm
@charo(charo)-170:
You have to admit though…having spent four days on a train, then playing in the heat the very same day you get off the train…
27 Sep 2010, 17:18 pm
@WP Till I Die(WP-Forever)-171:
And then of course they had travelled by ship from and back to Wellington before and after that tour started…
27 Sep 2010, 17:23 pm
@WP Till I Die(WP-Forever)-141:
Supply and demand.
I reckon he just got too expensive.
27 Sep 2010, 17:25 pm
@charo(charo)-168:
Your scraping the proverbial barrel again to gain some lost ground one more time is becoming monotonous in the extreme. Pay attention at ALL times to the SYNTAX.
My original post #146 refers to Table Bay and every genuine Capetonian knows that is synonymous with Sea Point as opposed to Simonstown(False Bay) thus your post of #150 was totally redundant but you will never realise that because you are not sufficiently equipped to so do.
Now take a bigger dose of those meds., or better still convert to some real execise to ween yourself off your dependence on that which always comes with side effects, yes even the simple 80mg. aspirin (and you should know from what you read here I do not have a need even for that).
27 Sep 2010, 17:28 pm
@ET(ET)-175:
you remind me of that led zeppelin song…..
ramblin’ on……………………………
27 Sep 2010, 17:31 pm
@WP Till I Die(WP-Forever)-172:
very surprised that they agreed to the itinerary. but men were men in those days and it must have a helluva experience for the first timers
27 Sep 2010, 17:32 pm
@WP Till I Die(WP-Forever)-171: i think it would be awesome if had a touring rotation between NZ, Aus and ourselves, where we host and tour once a year (or something). scrap the 3N, it’s getting old.
27 Sep 2010, 17:34 pm
I have set that plane over Table Bay as background and that will serve as sufficient motivation for me to get there sooner than anyone would hope for.
Watch out here I come back home.
27 Sep 2010, 18:09 pm
I hated losing to the Lions but I like what I am seeing. They are growing stronger by the day – and that can only be good for SA.
27 Sep 2010, 18:12 pm
…due to exceptional coaching. Much like de Villiers…*cough*
27 Sep 2010, 18:37 pm
@ET(ET)-179:
Hmmm, is Sea Point on Table Bay or just round from it?
27 Sep 2010, 19:15 pm
PDV keeps his job, as does his assistants, latest from SA Rugby following the review today.
27 Sep 2010, 19:53 pm
@JockBok(JockBok)-182:
don’t EVER question elliott2 on cape town matters.
he is a GENUINE capetonian
8)
27 Sep 2010, 20:05 pm
@WP Till I Die(WP-Forever)-171: certainly a travel disadvantage for the ABs then
I have just had a quick look through some threads, and what astounds me is I dont see one post from Heavens Game..
very poor effort HG, seems you always disappear after a loss..
be a man for once..
27 Sep 2010, 21:51 pm
@poppa69(poppa69)-185:
That last demand is synonymous with asking for the impossible Pops.
27 Sep 2010, 22:12 pm
@Mighty Horua(Mighty Horua)-139: Chumba wumba wumba chumba, yebo.
27 Sep 2010, 22:19 pm
@TheTackler(TheTackler)-187: Struggling with your Maori grammar check?
28 Sep 2010, 05:27 am
This article is long overdue. Players need to take responsibility for their skills and fitness and developing these areas. Look at Oupa Terreblanche and his fitness or Vic and his dominance of the line out.
Too many of our players do not, once they make senior level, do any futher development. It seems they do not other develop parts of their game.
Habadonna is a perfect example – his game has become predictable especially his defence which cost us some big tries with his predictable coming off the line.
28 Sep 2010, 10:38 am
@nama1(nama1)-71: Great, Rudolph’s all class. Will replace Prince in the middle order.
29 Sep 2010, 01:46 am
national team making **** excuses like that ….wow. how embarrassing.
Best article to date Keohane. Although I do miss the usual soap opera
30 Sep 2010, 13:16 pm
Surely this is a wind up. If not now we all blamed Strooli menawhile it’s keow and a Jamcan trick cyclist. The mind boggles. Where did he come from – the cricket team, way to go mon.
All of this stuff, although not as puerile as keow puts it has been with pro sportsmen and business people for a long time but at a bit higher level.
If we don’t have this and applaud its necessity it explains just why the Boks are so poor. In fact, the players are really good to lose by so little when the mangermunt is so useless.
Eish, always good for a giggle in old SA.
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