Bob Dwyer Rugby Workshops

Of all of the questions that I get over the season from fellow coaches, easily the most common is “How do I get my team to stop making mistakes?” Of all of the after-match comments from losing captains or coaches, easily the most common that I hear is, “We made too many mistakes!”

 ‘Elimination of mistakes’ is then clearly the focus of most team talks – at practice, pre-game and at half-time! Not for me though! My focus is clearly and definitely on the positive side – what we must do, in order to ‘execute accurately’. Dare I say it yet again, this amounts to quality execution of perfect technique under pressure. You will note that I refer above to ‘practice’, rather than ‘training’, which is the more common term used to describe mid-week preparation sessions. I use this term to accurately describe my sessions – I want to ‘practice’ perfect technique over and over again, so that, to use Les Kiss’ terminology, it becomes a part of my players’ DNA!

So for my money, I want to hear the post – and pre – match comments focussing on quality execution. Then we may be able to make some progress. A focus on the negatives of ‘mistakes’ only serves to put those potential mistakes in front of mind, where they clearly serve to hinder, not assist, execution. Just like the golfer with a focus on ‘avoiding the water hazard!’ One of the most prevalent drawbacks for most teams is that they hardly ever practise basic skills accurately and when they do, they hardly ever apply them to the pressure of ‘game situations’. An extension of this observation leads me to the conclusion that most – and I mean ‘most’ – coaches do not have an understanding of the key elements of accurate technique. It’s not that these are at all difficult; they just have not taken the time to observe, think or read about the detail of this vital subject. It’s readily available to all those coaches who take their role genuinely seriously – amongst many other sources, my Coaching Manual, for example, is full of it, from cover to cover. I believe that such a focus is at the core of all quality coaching.

Such an approach will quickly lead players and coaches to the cause of their ‘mistakes’ and a subsequent understanding of the practice sessions required to develop accurate technique which will serve to eliminate them. We will then have a positive mindset on the key factors for quality execution – and no thought at all on the outcome. A much healthier mindset altogether! A look at all of the SuperRugby games over the weekend will show hundreds of instances of inaccurate technique leading to mistakes, which were bemoaned afterwards – for the umpteenth week in a row! Unfortunately the Crusaders had the bye – their matches are our only respite from the frustration of consistent below par performances.

‘Dropped passes’ is easily the most common mistake raised, but teams do not practise accurate ‘catch & pass’ technique. I see sessions where the absence of the key factors is totally ignored by slack coaches, serving to strengthen the presence of such poor technique. Just watch the pre=game warm-ups on field for even elite teams. ‘Ball behind receiver’, no ‘reach for the ball’, no ‘sympathetic pass’, elaborate wind-up for the pass, etc is there for all to see – clearly they are preparing for poor execution. Another major factor in the ‘dropped passes’ saga is the almost total absence of proper alignment and realignment. Regular readers will note this as one of my pet complaints. The Waratahs and the Brumbies have virtually no interest in the subject, nor do the Chiefs and the Hurricanes. All of the South African teams show no understanding at all, with the subsequent results – or lack of same. If the intended receiver is too flat – or even worse, in front of the ball-carrier – the pass will either be forward (turnover) or, more than likely, spilled (turnover). How can it be simpler or less tiring than it is to take a pace or two backwards? Frequently this is all that’s required, but – apart from, surprise, surprise, the Crusaders – no teams get it consistently right, week after week. I get the impression that the practice of such simple fundamentals is ‘beneath the dignity’ of elite coaches and players. It’s certainly simple, but it is just as certainly not common! What is a lot more common is ‘walking’ – on the pitch, during the game! I do not see ANY PLACE at all for walking whilst the ball is in play - come to think of it, during the entire match. I see a place for running at pace, for ‘loping’ – in order to maintain accurate positional play off the ball-carrier, in both attach and defence – and for standing still, but I see no place for walking. If you are required in another place on the field, get there with urgency, and then stop and balance, ready for the next action. The Waratahs, on Friday night against the Chiefs, did more ‘walking’ than any other action. I was thinking of a possible entry to the Guinness Book of Records for ‘most minutes walked in a rugby match’. Perhaps this is what the journos refer to as a “pedestrian performance.”

Towards the end of the Blues v Cheetahs match, the commentator noted that the “Blues are in no hurry to get to this lineout”. They were one score in front and time was running out for the Cheetahs. But the Cheetahs were also WALKING to the lineout – on their own throw! In fact, the Blues lineout assembled before the Cheetahs! I am lost for any explanation other than this. Walking has become an entrenched part of all of the practice sessions for these teams. For me, the total absence of ‘walking’ is one my KPI’s for quality performance.

‘Missed tackles’ is another part of the game which coaches rate as a top area for mistakes by their teams. Once again, attention to the simple fundamental of ‘realigning with urgency’, will do wonders for reducing your rate of missed tackles. Being quickly into position to defend against the next attacking phase will allow your TEAM to defend as a unit, with each of the parts working together. This is a fundamental for a quality defensive unit, yet most coaches see only the ‘missed tackle’, without focussing once again on the source of the problem.

‘Lost ball in contact’ is another of the frequent mistakes that coaches refer to me for advice. I am reminded always of my early years as a coach when I learnt of the New Zealand attitude to this problem. “If you lose the ball in the tackle twice on Saturday, or even once on each of two consecutive Saturdays”, they would explain, “don’t even bother to look for your name on the selection board on the next practice night. Just go straight to the second team; that’s where you’ll be.” Such a policy certainly focuses the mind when next under pressure in a tackle and, indeed, has its place in the modern game. The current laws, however, place demands also on accurate support play. Such support play is fundamental to quality team attack, yet it is a most neglected area of current coaching. People are in awe of Sonny-Bill Williams’ ability to off-load in the tackle. I, on the other hand, am in awe of the quality of the support play which puts players into perfect positions to accept the off-load. This, once again, is a simple skill and, once again, is sadly neglected. I will practice it at EVERY SINGLE practice session, even if only as a part of our warm-up, and I will insist on accurate positional play EVERY SINGLE TIME. Interestingly, the most common fault which I have to correct is players running too fast and over-running the opportunity. No so difficult, to run more slowly!

These ‘three most common mistakes’ which I am confronted with, were all in evidence in abundance this weekend – and they can all be easily corrected, if the coaches do their jobs diligently and consistently. Oh how pleased I am that the Crusaders will be back on deck again next week!

You can’t win consistently without good players, but you can lose with them. This is where the coach comes in!

This is well worth remembering.