Unpredictability in the other game of rugby, that outside the
full-time professional game, is one of the challenges of
adaptability for coaches to demonstrate weekly.
Not for them a
captive audience at every training session, as not all players can
make themselves available two nights a week. Sometimes even the
coaches cannot attend every session owing to other commitments.
As specialist coaches tend not to gravitate to this level,
others just get stuck into areas in which they may possess less
than perfect technical expertise. Just as the All Blacks did some
time ago when their coaching trio Graham Henry, Wayne Smith and
Steve Hansen swapped coaching duties just prior to an autumn tour
of the UK.
Much was made of this at the time, questioning whether or not it
would prove to be in the best interests of the players. The first
game under New Zealand's revamped coaching team was against
Australia in a Tri-Nations Test, which the All Blacks won
comfortably.
They then moved on to secure another Grand Slam in the northern
hemisphere. No sign of any hiccups in the three main areas – set
piece, attack and defence – nor was there any evidence to those on
the outside of any harm done to the psyche of the players.
On many levels it was possibly a masterstroke of mid-term
planning, the environment freshened by different views in key
areas.
The players were reportedly in favour, and were no doubt
consulted before it happened. They too will have had to step up to
the mark to assist their coaches in their unfamiliar
surroundings.
The process demonstrated a combined flexibility of mindset and
exploration which has been one of the hallmarks throughout the ages
of outstanding teams.
It was also a less than gentle reminder that coaching is as much
about communicating strategy and principles of the game as just
specialising in technique.
One hopes that any group of players, at all levels, would
welcome this approach to provide diversity in preparation.
This weekend sees the beginning of another Heineken Cup, the
exotic side of club rugby. This is a tournament where the
unexpected can occur more frequently.
"Expect the unexpected" will be the clarion call from team
leaders. Even with the most thorough of analysis, there is a real
element of unfamiliarity through playing opponents rarely or
possibly never encountered before.
It is this type of competition that puts dealing with
unpredictability on the spot. It is not that difficult to put in
place a plan of how a game may unfold. But all participants need to
understand that teams from outside the normal playing radar may not
play ball on the day.
Will all the clubs involved mirror the way in which their
national teams played during the recent World Cup? The very nature
of this competition throws up unpredictability. This can lead to
more turnovers than usually occur against more familiar opponents.
Many coaches acknowledge that receiving turnover ball is like manna
from heaven, but do not spend the appropriate amount of time in
dealing with how to use it.
The commentators repeatedly observed during last weekend's
Leicester v London Irish game how often turnover ball in all games
is kicked directly back to opponents.
In really tight games, when you could argue that this type of
possession is even more like gold dust, do we educate or prevent
our players from using the ball positively from anywhere on the
pitch?
Common sense tells us that turnovers are not pre-planned and
therefore more or less guarantee temporary disorder or even chaos
on the field. Unlikely space becomes available, mismatches can
appear. An early-warning system should be in place indicating that
here is a golden opportunity to exploit and not surrender by
returning the ball so your opponents can have another crack at
you.
Taking us back to the discussion earlier in the column, coaching
and playing requirements in this situation are more generic than
specialised.
A work-rate mentality to reset and reorganise is fundamental.
The dynamic and small-talk style of communication is vital so some
sort of order is restored.
We probably need a short-term reshaping of the team. Players
need to demonstrate leadership, step into the firing line
immediately to take up those less-than-familiar duties, not step
away and abdicate responsibility.
To pull all this together, we need players who are able to play
with their eyes, assessing the situation as it stands then deciding
how best to deal with it.
It is the classic scenario for those coaches who are prepared to
direct their attention away from the specific to the overview of
the game, to work with players to develop an understanding of what
is possible when circumstances change.
Unpredictability is the lifeblood of sport, and I am sure more
than one group of coaches and players will have this to deal with
today and tomorrow. It's one of the reasons the Heineken Cup is
such a special tournament.
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