Don’t worry, be happy

You rely on New Zealand rugby players to make good decisions. They are suckled on the game. With almost their first breath Kiwi toddlers are crying out for mother’s milk and a rugby ball. New Zealanders have always had a depth of knowledge and rugby understanding that surpasses any other nation.

So why oh why are we seeing more and more players in Super Rugby Aotearoa doing foolish things? Where has the instinct gone? What has happened to the thinking rugby player?

Almost three decades ago, around the genesis of the game going professional, a number of New Zealand coaches and players went to Britain. Some, such as the Leslie brothers, perhaps thought they didn’t quite possess enough physical talent to play for the All Blacks.

But when John and Martin Leslie arrived to play for Scotland, they showed up just how unevolved the northern hemisphere rugby brain was. And remember this was in an era when England were about to go on and win a World Cup.

Looking at Super Rugby at the weekend I wondered where all this knowledge, this feeling for the game, had gone. There were moments of utter madness. The Highlanders had just closed the deficit to three on the Hurricanes when they tried to run the kickoff out of their 22.

You understood the fact that Tony Brown’s men think they have to run bigger sides off their feet. But when a poor pass halted the momentum, the chance was gone. The only option was a long clearance downfield. And yet the Highlanders kept trying to push bad ball until Marino MakaeleTu’u gave one daft pass too many. The Hurricanes were gifted turnover attacking possession which they cashed in for the try that decided the match.

it was far from the first bad Highlanders decision of the half. Shannon Frizell had blown a try trying to slam the ball down and wing Freedom Vahaakolo squandered another when he could have reached over the line to place the ball. Sio Tomkinson and Makaele-Tu’u had got in a muddle at an attacking scrum and conceded a penalty. Mitch Hunt had wasted an advantage with a nothing chip kick.

So it went on into the other game of the weekend. How many line-breaks did the Chiefs waste with a lack of awareness of space and timing? Why did Mark Telea keep running away from support? Why could Damian McKenzie not see massive overlaps or why did Rieko Ioane choose to ignore Luke Jacobson as he galloped away to set up the decisive score?

There cannot be definitive answers to all these questions, but they do suggest a malaise that perhaps has two sources. The first is over-coaching. I would love to see all professional rugby teams limited to a manager and a coach.

At the moment we are in danger of bringing up a generation of players who are like overprotected children. They don’t understand risk. If they are never allowed to climb a tree without three instructors giving advice and a safety harness, they are never likely to have a grasp of actions and consequences.

We are in danger of bringing up a generation of players who are like overprotected children.