Tell players to stay focused – or face axe
LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 23: Theo Dan of Saracens breaks with the ball during the Gallagher Premiership Rugby match between Saracens and Harlequins at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on March 23, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)
There are some interesting excuses from coaches as to why there are such variations in results in the Premiership week by week.
It would appear that the consensus of opinion is that it is down to mental complacency. It seems that if the team win easily one week the players expect that the same will happen again even if they are playing different opposition.
For the teams that lose, it easy to see why their performance improves the following week as they are full time professionals and if they keep losing games they could lose their jobs, which you would expect to generally focus the mind and gets the result.
If a coach is aware of complacency creeping in he or she should make sure during training and preparations for a match the players are focused and if necessary use the threat of dropping players to reinforce their focus on their job. After all, they are supposed to be professional players.
