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The art of closing out rugby games

Richie McCaw took All Black rugby to incredible heights. (AP Photo/Scott Heppell)
Roar Guru
27th July, 2015
15

As the old adage goes, close but no cigar. I am sure Heyeneke Meyer and his charges will be feeling this way for second consecutive week after their heartbreaking loss the All Blacks.

Ranked the top two teams in the world, the ultimate difference between these two heavyweights was and continues to be simply putting the proverbial “icing on the cake”. Finishing is an art form, it is by far the hardest element to master. At the highest level of rugby, and any sport for that matter, a team or an individual will only get a few moments in a particular contest to take the game away from their opponent.

Momentum is the key word and not just in regards to the ebb and flow of a game. Momentum can be created by an exceptional play during the game, a referees decision, foul play etc. Thus it will always swing between two opponents through the course of a contest. However championship teams know how to take advantage of their momentum swing and create a winning play through belief in their team’s ability and their previous experiences of being in a similar position.

The Springboks had plenty of momentum throughout the game particularly in the first half, however they failed to capitalise during those moments and finish off point-scoring opportunities. While you can argue the Boks did come away with points through various penalty kicks, my point relates to the Boks having the opportunity to score tries at critical moments in the game and create scoreboard pressure by forcing the All Blacks to play catch up on the scoreboard.

A perfect example of capitalising on a momentum swing (albeit created by a poor kick and chase from the Boks) was Ben Smith’s try right on the stroke of halftime after a scintillating break from All Blacks flyhalf Lima Sopoaga. That was a one of a few key moments, as the All Blacks who had been outplayed throughout the half were level on points at the break.

Carlos Spencer in studio still said “The All Blacks would have been happy going in at half time 10-3 down after being outplayed during the first stanza, let alone 10 all”.

The All Blacks only need two or three moments during a game to win it, this is because those moments are capitalised upon more often than not. In fact I can’t remember the last time this All Blacks team failed to capitalise on a scoring opportunity.

With Boks we have seen them seemingly in full control of a game and lose it at the death, Australia twice in the last two years, the All Blacks over the weekend and even Wales on last year’s end of year tour. This highlights to a disturbing trend that when presented with an opportunity to close out a game they are unable to do so, this reflects directly to the real inner belief and composure the team has.

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I am not saying for one second that the Boks are cursed like the famous American baseball team the Boston Red Sox where they are going to have wait for close to a century to gain a trophy. But the inability to finish off scoring opportunities and game changing scoring opportunities at that, should and will be a major concern for Heyneke and his brainstrust. That ability to take opportunities at critical moments can’t be coached; it is the player’s responsibility, players thinking clearly in their decision making during that critical moment.

The Boks have come a very long way in four years in regards to having a more open approach to their style and decision making with ball in hand. They have been enterprising and to some extent unpredictable at times in their approach.

Players such as Willie Le Roux, Handre Pollard and certainly Jesse Kriel of late are proponents of this exciting approach. But what they and the collective group need to harness is having a steady demeanor when presented with momentum shifts and taking full advantage of them.

There is no better exponent of this than the All Blacks. I can recall games against Australia in Brisbane last year and against Ireland in Dublin whereby seemingly dead and buried they found a way to hold their composure and score at the most critical times, that being at the end of the game. And there is no more critical moment than scoring points and claiming victory with the last throw of the dice.

Their ability to hold their nerve is what makes this current generation of players so special, at the critical moment when everything is on the line the All Blacks will and do find a way to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat – that is real belief in yourself and team mates. Be it through a never-before-seen lineout move over the weekend or a try created from inside your own half on the last movement of the game, that trust in one another, their systems and coaches is ingrained in the All Blacks psyche.

This is not to say the All Blacks winning Old Bill at the end of year is a foregone conclusion, far from it. What will keep opposing teams up at night is knowing that when those critical moments of pressure do arise (and believe me they will) the All Blacks embrace that pressure and become even more difficult to beat due to their mental resolve and you knowing they will create an opportunity towards the end to win.

The Boks will only learn this by being in those situations and making a habit of finding a way to win when all seems lost. And that is up to the players currently donning the green and gold.

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