Foley has kicking down to tee again

TO understand why Bernard Foley could not buy a goal in Dunedin but has not missed a kick since, you have to look at another Aussie who strikes a ball off a tee: Marc Leishman.

Leishman was the toast of Australian golf last week when he pocketed $2 million for winning the BMW Championships in Chicago.

The Victorian’s second win of the year on the PGA Tour came only two tournaments after he had missed the cut in the Northern Trust. Leishman bounced back swiftly to finish third in his following tournament and then win the next.

According to Wallabies skills coach Mick Byrne, the key to success in psychologically fraught skills such as golf or goalkicking is “faith, especially when you have a hiccup”.

It is why Foley, after kicking two from six in Dunedin, has since kicked 12 straight against South Africa and Argentina.

“It’s like in any sport; golfers are a classic one,” Byrne said.

“We look at Leishman, he’s just won that tournament. But you go back to a tournament he had before, he wasn’t hitting the ball really well there.

“You just have those moments at the top end. You can’t get concerned about what happened or why it was this, or why it was that, because you get caught up in stuff that’s not really there.

“You trust your rhythm, go back and work on what you need to work on.”

Australia lost by six against New Zealand in Dunedin when Foley missed nine points with his goalkicking but there was no issue other than being a “bit quick on the ball”.

He has quickly rediscovered his rhythm and has since kicked five from five against the Boks and seven from seven against the Pumas.

Having the “Ice Man” will go a long way to the Wallabies’ toppling the Boks in Bloemfontein this weekend because four of the past six games between the two teams have been decided by six points or less. The Wallabies also have Reece Hodge, who can slot goals from behind the halfway line.