One of my favourite memories with the Brumbies involved singing the team song after we managed to defeat the Bulls at Loftus in 2006.
That change room was on fire!
Jeremy Paul fired up the stereo, players shouted out all kinds of over-the-top celebratory gibberish, there were man hugs, bum pats, and high fives all around.
Laurie Fisher, usually shy, reserved and controlled, was transformed to into an animated mad scientist rock star.
It was awesome.
Somebody forgot to tell us that we were but two matches into the season, though at the time I doubt we would have cared.
All we knew was that we had come to Loftus and left with points, very valuable “on the road” points.
Fast forward 6 years and it’s the Brumbies version 2012 that will confront the enormous task of winning in South Africa’s capital.
A Brumby win would be an upset, but if this season has proven anything, it’s that the competition has never been more tightly contested.
The cliché that anyone can win on “their day” has never rung more true. Dare to have a bad day at the office in 2012 and you lose.
It’s become that simple.
One of the more interesting aspects of Super rugby has been the win/loss disparity between home and away records.
Travelling and winning in this competition is bloody difficult. Few teams have been able to do it consistently and it appears to be getting tougher still.
Why is this so?
Many have hypothesised that it’s the physical impact of long-distance travel that most impacts a team. Others have put that it’s the mental disruption of being placed in unfamiliar and often hostile territory that affects players.
Jetlag, “strange” food, annoying roommates and altitude aside, I can’t help but feel as though most teams under preform on the road because they expect to.
When we’re told a million reasons why we cannot do something, it’s very easy to subconsciously fuse with that idea, for it to become “true” before it is.
This is exactly how self-fulfilling prophecies are born.
Many coaches and players have tackled this problem by ignoring it. As if somehow refusing to acknowledge the challenge of travel diminishes its impact.
I believe this is the wrong way to go.
Rather, teams should be trained to be flexible, resilient and to welcome unexpected demands. Furthermore, teams should be encouraged to make the most of the unique opportunities that come from being on the road.
To see the sights, experience the culture, and explore.
This strategy goes to the cause of poor away performances rather than treating the symptoms.
Quite simply, I believe that if a team looks forward to touring, their chance of success increases by orders of magnitude.
When was the last time you were seriously successful at something that did not excite you?
I can already hear coaches and managers wondering out loud about how to motivate players for trips to less exotic locations on the itinerary. I’ll answer that question in two parts.
Firstly, every location where Super rugby is played has unique and interesting aspects to it.
Secondly, the previously sentence is irrelevant.
Attitude is what counts. And attitude is most certainly a quality that can be conditioned.
Leaders in a team can directly influence attitude by approaching touring with a positive mindset. It’s become cliché to refer to positive attitudes as being infectious.
But nowhere is it more important for teams to adopt this attitude than when travelling. And no single player better exemplified positivity than Stirling Mortlock.
Stirlo does not have an off switch.
In fact, somebody dialled up his crazy and ripped off the knob! In the seven seasons I played with Stirlo, I have to think long and hard to imagine him even slightly “down”.
He is genuinely infectious. No gym session, team run or mad Monday could ever be boring with Snork around.
At times, I found his limitless energy slightly irritating. But far more often I just buckled up for the ride and always felt better for it.
Another reason I thought of Sterlo this week is because it was his injury time try that created the euphoria in a Loftus change room six years ago.
Here’s to hoping the Brums can produce a similar outcome on Saturday.
Tigranes
Guest
Clyde travelling is one thing the South African sides have really worked on these days. It wasnt so long ago that the Cheetah conceded over 50 points to Crusaders in Christchurch - now they lost but only by 7. Not only that they beat the Hurricanes and Rebels and just lost to the Brumbies. The Sharks might have been heavily beaten by the Hurricanes, but these days the South African sides are definitely far more competitive on the road.
Bakkies
Guest
Yeah Grand Prix 7s circuit covered on a high profile NFL tv network
Bakkies
Guest
It's a very smart thing to do rather than spend two weeks on the beach in Cape Town and travel. South Africa like Australia is a big and diverse country geographically. Both the matches against the Lions and Bulls are in close proximity which the Brumbies would like
Bakkies
Guest
No point asking Clyde questions when he doesn't reply to posts. Maybe The Roar bosses should address this. It's great having these high profile columnists but replying to posts would further enhance the site
Bobo
Guest
Nice article, Mr Rathbone. It's astonishing how often one fails because one expects to fail. Experience can be a burden as well as a boon. What we call beginner's luck, or the naivete of youth, or being a 'young Turk', is usually the absence of self-imposed limitations on one's success. Of course, one whipping on the veldt, and the youth are naive no more.
gatesy
Roar Guru
...I second Chris' motion!
ohtani's jacket
Guest
More insight into the bum pat, please. What's it all about and what does it mean when there's more than enough for good measure? My friend and I used to call it "the Black Cap" in honour of how many times the NZ one day side did it.
Chris
Guest
and Clyde, ultimately do what is best for you, but there are a hell of a lot of Brumbies fans who would love to see what a McCabe/Rathbone centre combo could do...
Chris
Guest
You want to see a road win? Simply tune into the Reds Stormers match tonight. Stormers won't smash the Reds as the lack the ability to really put teams away, but they won't ever look like losing. As far as the Brumbies South Africa tour is concerned I think they would rate 8+ points as ridiculously fantastic, 7 points as awesome, 6 points as very good, 5 as a good and 4 as a pass. Anything under 4 and they are beginning to enter "must win" territory for most of their remaining games. Hoping they can at least get a bonus point against the Bulls and then grab 5 points in Joburg.
mudskipper
Guest
thanks Clyde, great to read the back story after the win so many years ago. Looking forward to the match... I hope the brumbies have learnt a little from Suncrop and start strong... Bulls aren’t what they were and many of their new team will also be nervous…
John
Guest
I was at that game sitting in one of the box on the end where Stirling Scored his try. He saved me that day as on that day I said to my mates I will become a Bulls fan if they beat the brumbies. Sterling saved me! The memory still vivid!
Brett McKay
Expert
Clyde, wondering if you've got any thoughts on Jake Whites decision to take the Brumbies straight up to Pretoria and to stay up on the veldt for the length of the tour? This is a rare occurance in Australian teams touring the Republic, it seems. And you missed an obvious chance for a stitch-up too, mentioning annoying room-mates without naming names!!
mania
Guest
yeah unless your the tahs and then your better off without homegraound advantage. i dont blame the tah's supporters. pre hammett the canes were inconsistent (understatement much?) but they would always put on great entertainment and some massive tries. tahs are just losing without (seemingly) trying
Go_the_Wannabe's
Guest
Exactly......you live or die in front of your home crowd. An away crowd? Doesn't really matter.
Manoa
Guest
Just on another topic. I have heard that a rugby union franchise has been sold in New York for $10 million, does anybody know about this? -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download The Roar's iPhone App in the App Store here.
Ben Farell
Guest
I think it spelt stirling lol.
rl
Guest
It's great to hear someone singing the praises of Mortlock and all the off-field value he brings. His injury lay-off has attracted a fair bit of negative reaction, but it's clear from Clyde's article that he's a great clubman. I always felt part of the Brums' road success was because their squad was assembled from a lot of imported players from other states, so they were relatively used to the notion of travel, and living away from home, roomates, different routines - wasn't that famous Canberra apartment block nicknamed "Melrose Place"?. But, from the outside, the Rebels don't seem to have captured the same feeling of comraderie (despite Kurtley' JOC's and Danny's best efforts!).
mania
Guest
biggest factor of playing away is mental. your in a foreign environment and your rituals for prepping for the game is thrown awry. physically nothings changed other than a bit of exhaustion, but mentally if you dont psyche up properly then can throw your game. also the home crowd. your home crowd would applaud u if u did something well and that pumps u up. in an away game you dont get that lift from the crowd. all about mental toughness/resilliance
B-Rock
Roar Guru
Great article - clear insights from someone who really understands how the players are thinking. A really important point: "most teams under preform on the road because they expect to. When we’re told a million reasons why we cannot do something, it’s very easy to subconsciously fuse with that idea, for it to become “true” before it is. This is exactly how self-fulfilling prophecies are born." The psychology of sport is so important to performance. Coaches and team management are so focused on the physical aspects of preparation while the mental side is only addressed at a very basic level. Clydes suggestions are good ones but I think there is more to it than this - I'm certainly not able to solve it but I think much more work needs to be done in this area
nomis
Guest
"...teams should be trained to be flexible, resilient and to welcome unexpected demands". Yes, yes, yes. The Crusaders last year were like this. And it always seems to be Ewen McKenzie's attitude in his articles as well.