We can’t quite put our finger on it. One day we are at the top of our game, performing at our best and said to be in form.
The next we uncharacteristically miss a couple of tackles, drop a few balls – then a few more – and are suddenly out of form.
Form is a funny thing. It has the ability to kickstart a rugby career, then ultimately be the reason that it ends.
During the career of a professional player there are highs and lows, peaks and troughs we encounter along the way. It’s impossible to be 100 per cent perfect all the time.
Even the greatest players have experienced days, even months, when their performances have gone from the sublime to the horrendous. When you find yourself out of form in a game like rugby it takes time and patience to find it again. Sometimes the harder you try, the deeper you sink.
It’s because there are so many different facets in a game of rugby that contribute to your individual performance.
We don’t play a sport where one moment of magic can spark you from a slump. We can’t fire that wonder strike from outside the box or produce that perfect triple somersault with pike to win gold. Our performances are measured over a whole season.
You may be stranded on the wing and not touch the ball for half the game, relying on the performance of others to provide the platform for you to unleash your best.
Add to this the fact you have three games away from home during the wet days of winter and that the bounce of the ball is suddenly not going your way.
It’s now the time to be patient, accept the coach’s reasons for not selecting you and take a step back.
We have all heard the phrase ‘play yourself into form’, and this has a certain truth to it. The more you play, the greater confidence you build.
This is relevant especially when returning from a long-term injury, as getting back on the field is the priority in regaining your fitness and skill.
On the other hand, form can mean nothing at all. How many times have we seen the underdog come out and prove the doubters wrong, producing the performances and ripping up the form guide in the process.
Anyone have the Force sitting in fourth spot on the ladder after nine rounds of Super Rugby? I didn’t think so.
So is form that important? And what are the contributing factors that lead to a lack of form or to experiencing a purple patch?
I call them the ‘three Ms’. Each plays a role on the effect that form has on the individual player as well as the collective team environment.
It’s all mental
You don’t become a bad player overnight. There’s a reason why you are where you are and have achieved what you’ve achieved.
When one bad game leads to another, then another, it’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel, especially when there are potential replacements breathing down your neck.
Within a team environment, it’s amazing what stringing a few wins on the bounce does to the morale of the group, creating a ‘winning mentality’.
It’s what’s occurring over in the west right now. Before the Super Rugby season began, many had the Force battling it out with the Rebels for the Australian wooden spoon.
They now sit proudly in one of the wildcard spots on the table, above the Waratahs after their win on the weekend. They have strung together five wins in a row for the first time in their history.
After their win, winger Nick Cummins, a.k.a The Honey Badger, a player very much in form at the moment, mentioned the strong belief and team spirit that is present in the squad this season.
This collective mental strength has contributed to them winning matches that in previous years would have slipped away from them.
Gaining momentum
As the wins start to build up, so too do the crowd numbers. The Fox Sports cameras are suddenly at your training ground every second week. People are now expecting you to win.
The 2009 NRL season saw the Parramatta Eels go on an outrageous run of form to make the grand final, led by a very in-form Jarryd Hayne.
After showing no signs of making the playoffs in the first half of the season, the Eels produced the snowball effect. The environment it creates enables you to just keep on going.
Maintaining it
As quickly as form comes, it can leave. The Super Rugby season is now played over seven months, with international breaks in between.
It’s about peaking at the right time. It’s a challenge for teams like the Force, who haven’t found themselves in such a strong position before, to maintain the performances that have served them so well.
For teams not travelling as well, the Rugby Championship break is welcomed as a way to kickstart the second half of their season.
It’s also a time to give players a rest, or to enter an international set-up and return fresh, upbeat and positive.
The ARU have just announced the dates for the spring tour to Europe. Many of the players who will feature in that squad, as well as the squad for the forthcoming Rugby Championship, will be those who’ve been in form this season.
It will be interesting to see how many Force players make the squad, and whether the more experienced players who are slightly out of form are still considered due to past performances.
In my opinion you need a bit of both. Teams should be selected on form, absolutely.
But in a tournament such as the Rugby Championship and in particular a World Cup, when one game can mean elimination and the end of the chance to lift the trophy, you also need proven experience. Everybody has a role.
Firstxv
Guest
true...but that wont worry the honey badger- especially against the Lions...constricted with a Lion on top of him....well...out come the claws...
RobC
Roar Guru
Looks like a good guess Firstxv. Also I think when someone starts to play well, the opposing team pays more attention on them, so time and space is constricted on the player.
Firstxv
Guest
Provided someone is physically and mentally up to the challenge form is usually also about confidence and opportunity, the latter often proving the difference in a lot of contests. That one loose ball, good bounce and bang, you're in. Getting yourself into positions of opportunity often then becomes habit and over time eventually translates to 'form', or consistency, even though its really just a string of isolated 'good' events. The Force have carried form from one match to the next by riding this little wave of confidence and opportunity- look at the Badgers hat trick- right person, right moment. Unfortunately this sort of run (ie unexpected) usually comes to a great big thump, usually when the 'in the zone' mode gets taken over by 'analysis' and overthinking...'trying' to do what came naturally previously, like trying to ride a glorious wave out longer than its there... Just a guess, but as soon as these boys all start thinking...they'll hit the wall...big time, because they wont be able to recapture it, and will go to pieces trying to....but like I said...just a guess.
RobC
Roar Guru
Good article thanks. I think athletes go through an initial spike, a slump then find their middle ground after. Injuries then puts a spanner in the works, with form returning in a slow parabolic curve. Team form is much more complex. But... go the Force!!!
Tommo
Guest
Haha fair enough, I knew I was going to get slammed for my poor grammar the moment I made the post! I still stand by my point tho ;)
He was pretty average in the few games he's been fit this year. Not sure if that's form or just age though...
Crazy Horse
Guest
That's pretty well exactly what je said in the Members' Bar immediately after the game (altgough he said it in Badgerspeak).
Sandgroper
Guest
Pete, quick before Tommo notices...capital F for Force. You'll get a hundred lines and detention if you keep it up!
Sandgroper
Guest
Tommo Capitalisation please "Punctuation Please!" in your first line, I find it a good policy to be absolutely perfect before picking on another's writing style. Is that not a good idea? Mate any post without SMS speak is easy to read. Stop whining and get back to work! GO THE FORCE!!!!!!!!!!!!
Pete
Guest
Well written. The force are seeing a resurgence similar to the reds of 2010-11! I hope they make it count and go all the way! Go force!
Tommo
Guest
Punctuation Please! you make a good point, it just took me a while to decipher it haha; but definitely correct. I can't wait for the Force Rebels game this week for this very reason; assuming those who were injured are ruled out, there could be up to 7 home grown players in the 23 (Longbottom, Godwin, Hoskins, Holmes, Haylett-Petty, Turner and Burton). It has taken a bit of time, but these are the fruits of bringing the Force into the comp in 2006, and I'm sure we'll be seeing similar scenes with the Rebels in 4-5 years time! pumped to see some real WA pride from the boys this weekend!
Sandgroper
Guest
True Strap, but look at the price he has paid for that consistency , always selected, no rest. I reckon if his face is anything to go by the rest of his carcase must be an orthopedic surgeon's playground :-)
Sandgroper
Guest
Sweet 100% agreement Nigel. The Force form has been coming for some time and eventually constant improvement pays dividends. Patience and passion go a long way. Go Force!!!!!!!
Strap
Guest
"Even the greatest players have experienced days, even months, when their performances have gone from the sublime to the horrendous." Never happened to McCaw. ;)
Nigel Imrie
Guest
Great article except where you left Rugby land and made a reference to the other code, insofar as potential Wallabies in the Force squad there is one certainty and that is the mighty Honey Badger however if McKenzie is true to his word then there are two gentlemen who should be in the run on team along with the Badger, Captain of the Force, Hodgeson and number 8 McCalman. It is because of these very men that the Force is in great form, their example, their tenacity and ferocity at the breakdowns is second to none. Hooper was served a lesson in how to play 7 by the humble Hodgeson and he should be given a chance to express himself when the French arrive. Hodgeson deserved a call up at RWC NZ but the then Wallaby coach was short sighted and naive but that is another story. Hodgeson appears ageless and is and has always performed to the highest calibre but this season he is in the groove, it's a life defining season for the veteran and he is propelling the whole side along with him. I have been a Force supporter since day one and after all the narrow losses, those one and two point games that got away from us and losing games on the bell we have earnt the right to be where we are and so has our captain, he has earnt that starting 7 for the Tests against the French, we will not be disappointed. Go the MIGHTY FORCE!!!!!!
Sandgroper
Guest
A well thought out post Adam. There is another pithy saying that probably contributes to team rather than individual form. It is, 'ten men well led will thrash a hundred without a head' The other M is leadership. Both formal, the captain and functional, the Badger. We love our Rugby over here and this will be no flash in the pan. Nick the Badger will tell you that he is only as good as the 14 other blokes and the eight on the bench playing thier heart out so he can get some meat! Go the Force!
Colin
Guest
Well said Adam yes as an avid force supporter to all those doubters over east who were quick to stick the knife in for both the force and the rebels at the beginning of the season suck din. give me a workhorse DOG or a genuine honey badger any day rugby aw and Victoria are both slow models moving forward they need to build their local infrastructure to the point that one day 70 percent of both teams will be local players and this takes time you don't build local rugby overnight it takes lots of community work and patience over east need to realise that both the rebels and force will produce players it's a time thing when the junior kids hit club level in 5-10 years that's when we will see results. Go Force well said Adam