The Rugby World Cup 'king of the table' battle

Pub pool competitions are thwart with danger. Everyone wants to be king of the table but it’s hard to bring your ‘A game’ right from the outset.

Each game is open to different interpretations. Two shots when your opponent sinks the white but not if you sink one of your balls on the first shot. You can’t shoot back from the D and you have to nominate your pocket on the black or forfeit.

Then the next game comes along and you’re told you can shoot back from the D, the black needs to go in the opposite pocket your last ball went in and the two shots carry regardless of what happens with your first shot.

Finding out the local intricacies takes time. You slowly learn which cue not to take, the curve of the felt and the peculiar dimensions of the table. Rustiness is a big curse early on and the banter tends to be at its loudest as teams take a while to get into their groove and people are keen to throw players off their game.

It’s been scientifically proven that men play pool better when they are slightly drunk. Early on, therefore, you’re not at your best. When you’re tense, the follow through is stifled. Your shots must be fluid and your mind must be thinking about where the ball is heading next while not being too cluttered to make the shot at hand.

We saw that with England, Wales, New Zealand and France to varying degrees. The game was stop start early on. They couldn’t find their rhythm. There was a decided lack of crispness about their game.

England looked to be taken aback by the technical expertise of Fiji. Normally, they’re a ‘bang it and hope for the best’ opponent. Not too refined but when the balls scatter, they have a knack for swooping down and potting them.

Not this time. Their chalk work was polished and their cue action accurate. They probably handed back the cue too easily to England but you could tell early on their refined play unsettled England a little.

Wales were a couple of shots down before they got going. They ran away with the game easily enough in the end but they looked jittery early on and they won’t be too happy about being a player short.

France have a recent habit of bumbling play, digging up the felt and coughing up the white ball. They’ll be pleased they got through their game against Italy with a win and they certainly look good enough to trouble better opponents but their game hasn’t quite clicked yet.

New Zealand started with aplomb, sinking three quick shots. Then holes started appearing in their game. Owen Franks and Tony Woodcock were probably guilty of not stepping up when it counted and the likes of Kieran Read were forced to fill in the void.

That allowed Argentina to get a roll on and make the breaks that gave them early momentum. New Zealand’s cause was not helped by Conrad Smith and Richie McCaw giving away stupid foul shots and handing the initiative back to Argentina.

As the game wears on, however, good players’ inhibitions are lost. They start taking on liquid and the muscles free up. The cue sits more loosely in their hands and their play between shots is snappier. They start to use the jukebox or crowd in their favour and they find their groove.

With the exception of Ireland, who looked switched on and on their game right from the outset, the aforementioned teams started to play more fluently later in the game. It was by no means convincing – Nehe Milner-Skudder missing a sitter in the top right corner for instance – but it was a big improvement on the scratchy play at the start.

Australia have put their coin on the table but are still waiting for a spot to open up. That’ll happen soon enough but the waiting game can be a frustrating one. You start sizing up your opponents thinking, ‘I can take him but that guy in the red shirt looks pretty handy’.

The nerves are there for all to see early on but it’s while playing that the nerves start to evaporate as well. You stop going through different scenarios in your head and start concentrating on the task at hand.

Of course, everyone is keenly studying the form guide even at the start of the competition. There is a fine balance between being in the zone and off your game. There’s no scientific formula to help you find the right combination of shooters to shots or pints to pots. There’s no earthly explanation why straight shots sometimes are more difficult.

Pressure tends to be accumulative. Attrition is not a factor at the beginning of a tournament. A tired body makes for a tired mind. The decision making process is just as important as execution.

Expectation tends to build up as well. At the beginning it’s more of a sizing up process. The longer you play in these types of tournaments, the more pressure bears down upon you. Do or die may sound over the top but that’s what it feels like at the business end.

Things could be going swimmingly well for you and then suddenly the shots dry up and nothing starts to go right. It’s very difficult to rectify that situation. New Zealand breezed through pool play in 2007 but couldn’t make that final shot to clinch the game against France. All the pool play leading up to that game amounted to nothing.

You also have to ride your luck at times. You might mishit but still end up making your shot. Or you can more or less control your own game but sometimes your opponent will rise to the occasion and exceed expectations.

We saw that with South Africa against Japan. Every time they made an impressive shot, the Japanese came back with just an equally impressive play. When your opponent starts making their shots, it creates pressure on your own game. Plays that you normally make are ignored and you feel the need to start making more elaborate plays to intimidate your opponent.

South Africa neglected the rolling maul and started going for the running trick shots. In the end, it came down to sinking the black and the Japanese did so in the top left corner showing remarkable composure in the build up.

All is not lost for South Africa. They have two 50p coins in their wallet and have another shot at redeeming themselves. Other teams later on won’t have that luxury.

There’s certainly nothing wrong with getting off to a good start and settling your nerves. But at this stage, players have very little in the way of momentum. Ireland looked decidedly ragged in their build-up games but they looked the most polished in their play.

Or look at the Wallabies in the Rugby Championship. They were far from convincing but they improved significantly against Argentina and that gave them the confidence to approach the game against New Zealand in the right frame of mind.

We’re all making bets on who that king of the table will be but it’s all about timing your run and bringing out your best when it’s needed. The Pool A table will need that sooner than others and there’s now a sense of urgency to South Africa’s game.

But so far, for the most part, things are just warming up. There’s more pool play to come and the chalk doesn’t have to be cut between the sticks just yet. Form is certainly relevant to some extent but it can quickly go out the window when you least expect it.