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Best-selling author, Malcolm Gladwell, in an excellent article in the New Yorker, describes the difference between panic and choking. He uses the well known meltdowns of Greg Norman and Jana Novotna as prime examples of choke.
Had he been a rugby fan he could have used the famous/infamous game in which the All Blacks let France kill them in the second half of that Test several years back.
Gladwell posits the idea that sports people learn their trade through an implicit understanding of fundamentals.
This can be extrapolated to the All Blacks and their stunning crash in that amazing game. Every member of that team had been playing rugby for years and had learned how to pass, catch, tackle, and so on, at a very early age, and the knowledge had become implicit – that is, the players didn’t have to think about how to pass, catch, tackle.
However, according to Gladwell’s theory, when France came out of the sheds and started to score, the All Blacks reverted to explicit knowledge.
In other words, they forgot the basics and floundered like amateurs.
It’s a good theory and has the ring of truth to it. And it would appear that the problem was eventually recognized by Kiwi psychologists – although it took some time – and the lesson has been learned and passed onto the squad through Graham Henry and the New Zealand rugby gurus.
In the Tri Nations we saw the All Blacks twice staring at defeat but come out of both games winners. I for one believe that they’ve rid themselves of an ugly label and will win the RWC because of great talent and a newfound understanding of past problems and belief in themselves.
I think Malcolm Gladwell might agree.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.