Lions have the potential to cause an upset at Eden Park

THE more you look at it, the more you think Pakistan have got it right. They scraped into the Champions Trophy in eighth place and were demolished in their opening against India.

Nobody gave them a chance and even coach Micky Arthur admitted the players had gone to pieces.

Turn around twice and they are the champions, having beaten the same Indian side by a street.

Players, hardly heard of, performed like world beaters and there was no hint of luck about it. Well, there was that no-ball that allowed Fakhar to perform his magic but, surely, spread-betting had nothing to do with it? Let’s banish that ugly thought.

The victory has been compared to Denmark and Greece winning the Euros and, of course, Japan beating the Springboks.

So, was it just one of those ridiculous results that appears from time to time or is there a lesson? How do we get our teams and players to play as if there is no pressure? Surely that is the golden question. Is there a lesson for South Africa regardless of the sport?

Let’s start with a statement of heresy. We demand too much from our national representatives in terms of results.

Whenever Bafana Bafana, the Boks or the Proteas play we focus almost entirely on the result. Every time. Regardless of game status, performance, luck, weather or anything else, if we win it is duck. If we lose it is no dinner. This, of course. puts massive pressure on the players.

Instead of just performing, confident in their preparation, fear of failure is the abiding emotion. However, fear of failure must be present, surely? We cannot accept a totally cavalier attitude to representing South Africa.

Surely the absence of fear of failure is not giving a damn? So what is the solution? Where lies the balance? The answer is process and part of that process is targeting.

It looks like the Boks are now doing it. No longer do we hear talk of just winning each Test. Don’t get me wrong, we’d love to win them all, but that is not practical.

There will be days when the rub is not green. There will be days when the ref gets it wrong or the ball bounces badly. However, if there is a target set – like a World Cup – and a series of landmarks along the way, teams can be assessed regularly.

There will be no guarantee that the final goal will be achieved, but players will be able to embrace the big games safe in the knowledge that all boxes, in terms of preparation, have been ticked and the negative pressure is off. Even if the Boks lose today we will still be able to look for improvements in certain areas. The baby will not be thrown out with the bathwater regardless, and that is good to know.

By accident, rather than design, that’s where the Pakistan players found themselves last week and the rest is history. Can you design a process to result in the same state of minimum pressure? I wonder. The same question applies to the British and Irish Lions. A seemingly insane itinerary has proved to be ideal. The results were secondary to the process leading to the Test series. Conventional rugby has been discarded for expediency.

If Conor Murray has to kick all day to force the All Blacks out of their comfort zone, he will do so. If the line speed has to be dangerously fast to result in the same, it will be.

Physical effort and bravery are a given and the Lions feel they have a chance.

Compare that with where they were after the opening game and you realise the pressure is almost all on New Zealand.

Of course they are still hot favourites, but the very fact the Lions go into the series as, at least, outside contenders, is laudable. This is the beginning of the end of their process and it is fascinating.

Sometimes, as in 1971 and in the World Cup final in 1995, you just feel an upset might happen. The Lions are where they want to be and will give it everything. The real key is what their progress has done to the mighty All Blacks.

Maybe they should ask India how they felt last week going into that final?