Analogies between sport and business are commonplace. I'm not pretending that this blog piece will be any different but a couple of things struck me whilst watching both the Ireland v Wales and England v Scotland games which I thought were worth sharing.
It's not been the best Six Nations tournament for Martin Johnson and his men has it?
Critics of England point out that they aren't sure what the game plan is for the English side.
On the contrary, I think the England problem is that they know EXACTLY what the game plan is. England's real problem is one of leadership.
On the pitch it is so obvious that Steve Borthwick- nice man though he is- is his master's voice in that he appears be be utterly unable to make any decision other than those that were previously agreed upon in the classroom or the training pitch.
This means that the team are bound together so tightly around "the plan" that they do not know how to deal with matters that happen on the pitch that don't accord with their own plan- this is either supreme arrogance or supreme stupidity. What it isn't is a plan to win international rugby matches.
Likewise the sheer lethargy of the English set play was emblematic of a wider absence of speed of thought, leadership and decision making. Apart from Borthwick bleating at the referee- again- there was a noticeable absence of anyone prepared to make a different decision, be spontaneous or change tactics. The result: a stifling, trench warfare and a shoe in for this week's cure for insomnia. Following plans and processes are all well and good but this adherence matters not a jot when the opposition are cutting darting runs through your flat defence and you can't scrummage for toffee.
Lesson: it's important to have a strategy but the strategy is meaningless unless you have either a) a back up or b) the right personnel to deliver it.
Although it pains me greatly to admit it, the Welsh have a similar problem. Although their play is intermittently sparkling, they have made little progress this year.The extraordinary win against Scotland was simply that- extraordinary. Poor against England, simply not at the Ireland game, the Welsh can take some comfort in an excellent second half against France. But that's it. Again the problem can be traced back to leadership. Ryan Jones is palpably not the man who, was once suggested as a Lions captain. The rush defence tactics employed so well by Shaun Edwards two years ago is now being used by opposing teams to devastating effect. In stark contrast to England, where invention flair and lateral thinking would add to their game plan, for the Welsh it is the need to get the basic plan right that currently is their major flaw. The lineout has been woeful, the scrummage workmanlike, the turnovers unacceptably high.
For Wales, the long discussion with the drawing board is about to begin. Lets face it: although rugby is a simple game made complicated by its rules, the default position of "Give the ball to Shane" is not a long term strategy that will pay dividends.
Lesson: Don't assume that doing things the same way will bring you dividends; often the competition has moved on. Refresh your strategy regularly and don't be afraid to try something new just because you've always done it "your way". As Einstein said, the true sign of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome.
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