Highs and Lows of an English Sporting Summer
Lovers of English Sport are resilient if nothing else. Rock bottom only a few months ago, our cricket now rules the world and the players are being compared to rock artists. Same team though! And against a backdrop of earth-shattering incompetence by their administrators. I was at Lords for Day One of the revolution and it didn’t feel like that. However, on that day Allan Lamb was hopeful because he loved Brendan McCullum’s approach and management style. Interesting isn’t it, one inspirational off-field change and a new captain – cue an entire team not only playing like world beaters but enjoying itself in the same breath. These appointments came out of adversity but it shows how some brave decisions made for the right reasons can pay off. Hold that thought…….
At Wimbledon, we are enjoying unprecedented success with a host of new names to follow, not just Emma Raducanu who may just feel some pressure off now that it isn’t all about her. I am sure she will be the most relieved of all and can get on with building her career. Cam Norrie is now a household name and has a shot at glory. The oft-criticised tennis authorities have clearly been doing something right.
The Women’s Football Euros 2022 Championship starts with record tickets sold and some stunning weather ahead for supporters to enjoy the spectacle. Women’s sport continues to grow exponentially across Europe and with the Rugby World Cup later this year I have never been more excited.
Can Matt Fitzpatrick repeat his stunning US Open win at the 150th Open at St Andrews? Or can McIlroy finally see out the last day’s pressure, a key failing of recent majors.
On the flip side a day of immediate reckoning for the rugby lads in Brisbane where a win can save the series and halt a damaging run of losses for Eddie Jones. Having seen the England team selection for the weekend I have to draw a breath to consider yet another midfield combination… anyway I cross my fingers and hope that the teams inner spirit kicks in. What more is there to add, than a confusion in attack, inability to close out a match (again) when in position to win, and a propensity to leak tries in the key last 20 minutes. This was no vintage Aussie side in fact in the first half I thought they were dreadful and England should have been 20 points up, not 6-6. Both our attack and defence coaches are much changed and themselves inexperienced. So is it a surprise to see such weakness? Player confidence is wafer thin and it shows when the heat of the contact is most intense. Very few can count on a regular place in the team and that breeds insecurity.
My Bath team trained specifically for the last 20 minutes. In a way it was all we cared about, all we had trained for, to capitalise on the previous 60 minutes and put away the opposition, personally and collectively. We were relentless. I am proud to say that no England team I played in lost a game when leading after 60 minutes. It’s an attitude built of teamship, brotherhood, focus and fitness. Look at the players who were in those teams and you will know why this happened. In the current England set up, only Genge and Farrell have this, seemingly. So they both need to play 80 minutes, and lead this group of underperformers to deliver when the pressure of the result is at its height. Perhaps, just perhaps that will be enough to turn things round. Talent there is aplenty but then we know that. The phoenix like recovery of our cricketers holds a lesson for cautious administrators who shy away from brave decisions which can lead to turnarounds of some magnitude.
Finally, there was not that much between the All Blacks and Ireland – held up over the line 4 times and guilty of 10 minutes of lazy defence, the men in Green were ‘Leinstered’ in the first half by their hungry opponents who had some hurt to put right. The series is far from over. In Loftus Versfeld, I could not believe yet another aimless kick in the last 5 seconds of an International from a Welsh scrum-half (remember Italy). The forwards must have cried into their beer, as the Springboks were given a free counterattack against a gallant 13 and pulled out a scarcely deserved win.
Back to that old Woodward adage, think correctly under pressure! Those that do will win out in the coming days, not just on the rugby field.
Read more of Simon Halliday’s blogs HERE.
