Connacht must learn from their mistakes and move on

JACK IN THE PACK
Bernard Jackman
IT was another successful weekend for the Irish provinces with bonus point wins for Ulster and Leinster and a win for Munster at home to the Scarlets.

Leinster were rampant from very early in their game. Johnny Sexton picked up another man of-the-match award but I thought Luke Fitzgerald was very impressive and at the heart of everything positive that Leinster did. This week I am going to write more about the losing side, Connacht, and how they can become more successful.

Competitive sport is often an emotional roller coaster. It’s a highly evocative experience that frequently pulls all sorts of emotions from deep within us. As an athlete, coach, parent and supporter, it’s absolutely critical that you get a handle on the anger and intense emotions that get stimulated by tough losses and failures.

Last week, Connacht’s South African hooker Ethienne Reynecke wrote a letter to the Connacht supporters which was titled “The Burden of Passion”. Connacht have lost their last 10 matches, which is a record run of defeats for the province and they face Leinster and Munster in their next two matches.

Reynecke’s piece was very honest and it’s rare that a player comes out and tries to explain their feelings, particularly when these feelings are negative ones. In summary his letter spoke about how getting paid to play rugby isn’t sufficient reward for putting your body through the physical attrition that is required week in, week out. He said the fact that it means so much to the fans is a huge motivating factor for him and it gives him “purpose”. He doesn’t want to let the fans down. That’s why he hates losing so much and he says that this losing streak has created an unimaginable pressure on the players and the coaches.

He pleads with the supporters not to be negative in there postings on social media websites and to support the team. As Connacht prepare to play Gloucester tomorrow in Kingsholm “Revenge” is the theme.

I feel sorry for Connacht as there were certainly games amongst those 10 defeats that they could have won. Put yourself in a Connacht player’s shoes for a minute. You would have gone into the season high on expectation with entry to the Heineken Cup for the first time to look forward to. The draw produced six glamour fixtures against Toulouse, Harlequins and Gloucester and season ticket sales broke all previous records.

Instead of slumming it in the Challenge Cup you are now Primetime with your first . matches shown live on Sky Sports. The excitement would have driven them to train harder, sacrifice more. The momentum gained from entry to the Heineken would spill into the Rabo Direct and they would find themselves ahead of one of the other provinces, which would guarantee entry to the European Cup next season. More revenue would increase the budget for new players next summer and Connacht could start to compete in the transfer market for big --name foreign stars or be able to keep a hold of their own stars.

At the moment, those dreams and expectations are shattered. They are in a hole and it’s hard to see a way out. They aren’t the first sports team to go through this and they won’t be the last. Often, to “work harder” isn’t the answer. Connacht’s work ethic has never been in question. Eric Elwood would never allow that to happen. How can Connacht or other teams get out of this slump?

Whether you win or lose a match will only have an impact on your next game if you allow it too. You need to be able to accept defeat as an individual and a team and move on. In my last two seasons with Leinster we used what we called the “Last Word” to deal with our previous performance. We felt that our result was dictating the mood in the camp and the nature of our training for too much of the week so the coaches and the senior players decided that Monday morning was all about reviewing the previous game and this review had to be done is a very thorough and detailed way. But it finished by midday on Monday when Michael

Cheika presented his “Last Word” with the “work-ons” needed to win the next game and from that moment it was all about looking forward.

Everyone talks about “competing”, “doing your best” or “trying really hard” but it’s more important to talk about “winning”. Talking about winning, thinking about winning and then doing things in training, preparation and competition that make winning a reality is the way forward. If you don’t win this week learn from it next week. Don’t make the same mistakes over and over again. One definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome. Every experience, win, lose of draw, is an opportunity to learn. Learn faster and win more often.

I would like to thank everyone for reading the column each week and I hope you have a great Christmas and a happy and prosperous new year.