Feb
4
It’s almost 2 years since I trained with the Scottish national Rugby team after winning the opportunity in a competition that I had not realised that I had entered ( this was different from winning millions on a lottery that I know I have not entered!!). I spent a great day with the team and had a couple of bruises to show for my efforts. The players and staff were particularly patient - and courteous - with the 9 random guests of their sponsors who had turned up for the day.
I know little about the technicalities and strategy involved but I have no problem aligning myself behind my national team in any sport. It was with great anticipation that I dropped my husband and daughter off at the stadium ( they had tickets) and I headed home to continue to work with my son on his dissertation and snatch bits of the game on TV. Luckily - as it turns out - we were so engrossed in his work that I only saw about 10 minutes of the whole thing. It was enough.
According to my husband so dismayed were the fans by the performance that many left the stadiium after about 60 of the 80 minutes.
The press coverage of the defeat is - as you would expect - less than flattering. In fact it is brutal and there are already calls for the team coach to be sacked.
Managing and leading team in the full glare of the media and with the hopes of a nation resting on your shoulders must be (understatement) pretty daunting. It would be very interesting to be a fly on the wall during the debriefing.
Do you think it goes along the lines of
- what was good
- what was difficult
- what will we do differently next time?
Hark back to a time when a team you were working with missed the mark in some way. Did you go through that process? What happened next time?
And on ASK - Attitude, Skills and Knowledge - what would each player have to say?
- I doubt any approached a national team place with anything other than immense pride and desire to do well.
- I am sure that each was selected for the very reason that they had the skills needed
- Did they have full knowledge of the strategy for the game and understand what that meant for them?
I heard a team coach explain that the reason for his team losing in a game where the teams were very evenly matched as “They just did not want it as much as the other team”. Is that only relevant in sport?
Scotland play Wales next Saturday. They will be disheartened ( another understatement) today but they need to pick themselves up an start the next game with the knowledge of what did not work yesterday and a plan for how to change that.
And I for one will be right behind them!
