Like all sports, rugby offers success tips that apply both to the sport at hand and to life in general.
The Rugby World Cup is a treasure chest of incidents and commentary that is full of valuable success lessons that can inspire anyone, whether they are interested in rugby or not.
On Saturday 15th September New Zealand, the legendary All Blacks, took on Portugal in Lyon. One commenter commented:
“This is like the story of David and Goliath, only David has forgotten his slingshot and his stones!”
Portugal is ranked 22nd in the world in rugby union. New Zealand usually ranks first and has an aura of invincibility. Undaunted, the Portuguese gave himself 100% to singing the Portuguese anthem before the game.
“I’ll be interested to see how long that passion lasts!” said a commenter from New Zealand.
Passion and enthusiasm tend to wane when “the going gets tough.” That’s when the successful and the ‘tough’ get going and maintain their enthusiasm.
It was Churchill who said:
“Success is the ability to go from one failure to another without losing enthusiasm.”
The Portuguese soon experienced failure after another goal, to their credit, they kept up their enthusiasm
New Zealand scored in 3 minutes. Nine minutes later, Rockofoco, the All Black’s rocket man, scored another try. The score was 12-0 after just twelve minutes.
After forty minutes the score was 52-3, but Portugal did their part and it was a game well worth watching. The so-called minnows gave it their all and Portugal were the first to score a try early in the second half.
His try was converted and Portugal was beginning to catch up. 52-10.
However, successful people try harder when they start to fall below their high standards and see other people reach them. The All Blacks are no exception. Bob Leonard scored almost immediately. 59-10.
My martial arts students don’t like to see other students climbing the belt ladder ahead of them. Some will redouble their efforts to stay one belt color ahead of students just below them in the belt rankings. Competitiveness is frowned upon by the politically correct, but it is a powerful motivator.
Portugal maintained their form and determination throughout this game. The match ended 108-13 in favor of the All Blacks but Portugal was able to hold its head high. They had given everything and done the best they could. Although they had lost the game, they had achieved success.
From my point of view, success is about doing your best, regardless of the results. Portugal had done everything possible.
On September 15, Wales played Australia at Cardiff Stadium, one of the best rugby grounds in the world. Australia is the most successful country in world cup history.
Australia soon advanced and Wales were beaten in the first half. At halftime, the score was 25-3 in favor of Australia.
Wales needed to forget about the first half and needed to control the game and try to score. It helps to forget the failures of the past and start anew in the present moment.
The Welsh forwards scored a try almost immediately with decided play. Hook converted the try. 25 -10. If pride and passion were enough to win world cups, Wales would be at the top of the tree.
Wales needed that try for his self-confidence. People build their belief and success in one small step after another. Everyone can improve their life with at least one small step each day.
For example, if you’re weak, take the small step of doing squats every day (ie, sit in an imaginary chair with your arms in front of you, then stand up).
Next, do wall pushes (ie lean forward facing a wall with your palms on the wall and feet about thirty inches from the wall. Then push away from the wall and then lean forward again). Make sure your feet aren’t too far from the wall or you’ll fall on your face!
You could do ten squats and then ten pushaways. Repeat that sequence for about ten minutes every day, and you’ll become leaner, stronger, and fitter both mentally and physically. Back to the game!
Wales were awarded a penalty and the score rose to 25 -13. Victory would seem obtainable from this score. The extra points inspired confidence in the Welsh players. Could they twist the knife and make Australians doubt themselves?
A Welsh player made a powerful tackle that would win hearts and minds even if he didn’t win the ball. Any show of extra effort can inspire and bring results. Leonardo da Vinci came up with a brilliant line about the value of effort that goes a long way towards explaining his enduring success:
“Oh God! You sell us everything for the price of effort.”
Latham, the Australian, broke through to score a try. 32-13. Latham makes his own luck. He goes after everything and never gives up.
Where England had just gone down against South Africa, Wales had come back strongly in their second half. They might start thinking, “We can still take on the best teams.”
Gareth Jenkins later commented: “If you have a lot of spirit and faith, you can go back.”
Wales were not looking for the final whistle. They were having fun. Someone commented: “The Welsh Dragon bubbled but was eventually sprayed by the Wallabies.”
However, Wales still had something to look forward to. They could qualify second in their group and then face South Africa in the quarter-finals. Stephen Jones commented:
“We need to learn to play more than 80 minutes and improve our rugby.”
Michael Lynagh, the Australian commentator, was disappointed that Australia remained in the lead in the second half.
Successful people tend to play and work hard on ‘both halves’.
On Saturday, September 15, Ireland played Georgia in Bordeaux.
Until now, Ireland were not happy with their world cup. Paul O’Connell said, “We’re just not realizing our potential.”
O’Driscoll, the Irish captain, said: “Maybe we took our eye off the ball.”
Will Greenwood agreed: “Ireland need to be aware of the game and not what other teams in their group are doing.”
The Georgians are a tremendously physical team. They started well and put Ireland on the defensive. Rory Best, the Irish hooker, scored the first try. The score was 5-0 to Ireland after 17 minutes. Ronan O’Gara scored a great conversion. 7-0.
Ronan had practiced for a good hour and a half the day before the game. He practices in private and shines in public. Georgia hit a penalty near halftime and scored three points 7-3.
After half time, Stringer fired a long, slow pass that was intercepted by a Georgian. He scored a try and converted 10-7 for Georgia. Ireland, no longer in the lead, discovered its sense of urgency. Successful people don’t usually do this. They have a sense of urgency from the start.
Ireland scored a try in the 54th minute when a Georgian missed a tackle. The Georgians were beginning to tire. O’Gara converted the try. 14-10.
The Georgian forwards advanced meter by meter and inch by inch. They were happy to face this Irish team. They continued to be shocked and surprised. Kashvili kept throwing big kicks on touch
Now there was a real sense of urgency on the part of the Georgians. They were smelling incredible discomfort.
O’Driscoll, unsurprisingly, noted this: “Once they were within a sniff, their confidence increased. When you’re within a twenty, anything can happen.”
Anyone who realizes that they are close to achieving their goals is capable of the kind of extra effort that produces miracles.
The Irish fans were on tenterhooks and couldn’t wait for the final whistle. The biggest men and hearts had been Georgians. Ireland scored two tries but were lucky to come off the field with a win.
TV spots continued to be original and blended with the French world cup background. A character in one of them asked:
“What is déjà vu in French?”
It is worth remembering the twelve success tips that emerged from the rugby games described above:
Passion and enthusiasm tend to wane when “the going gets tough.” That’s when the successful and the ‘tough’ get going and maintain their enthusiasm.
Successful people try harder when they start to fall below their high standards and see other people reach them!
Success is doing the best you can regardless of the results.
Forget past failures, even recent ones, and start over in the present moment.
Build your belief and success in one small step after another. Improve your life at least one small step each day. Try the 10-minute system of 10 squats and 10 push-ups suggested above.
God sells us everything for the price of effort.
Create your own luck by pursuing an opportunity with all your heart.
Successful people tend to play and work hard on ‘both halves’.
Don’t take your eyes off the ball. Focus on your priorities.
Practice in private and shine in public.
Have a sense of urgency when starting any project. Don’t wait until the deadline closes.
Let the thought of being close to achieving your goal inspire you to greater efforts.
Most of the previous lessons have been deja vu (already seen). They just need to be applied.