Rugby Union: Time we turned the pitch into a mind field

THERE'S an old rugby league saying: "If you're cruising you're losing". Judging by the odd results being thrown up in the Allied Dunbar Premiership this season, it's a slogan that top union clubs should be learning by heart.

Avoiding over-confidence and keeping your concentration at a high level during a long season is probably the hardest aspect of professionalism to get used to but success is difficult without it.

Life among the top English clubs has become so competitive that no team can afford to take their feet off the pedals and start free-wheeling. But it is happening. There have been numerous examples of fancied teams coming unstuck against the underdogs and last weekend probably produced the biggest shock of all when Harlequins woke from their slumbers to give Saracens a 41-28 chasing.

It was exciting stuff to watch and Quins, who had been struggling this season, must have been delighted with the space they got to throw the ball about. I am not suggesting that Saracens played with any conscious feeling that it was going to be a dawdle, but even the slightest relaxation of an aggressive determination to win can damage the team's chances - sometimes it takes only one player to lose focus to put the side in trouble.

There was one result last weekend that was more ominous than any other, and that was Bath's 50-20 win at West Hartlepool. I was chatting to Richard Webster, the Bath captain, in the week and he said they had been working hard on maintaining their concentration for every game and they took a lot of satisfaction from that performance. They were hot favourites to win the match but that is where the trap lies.

A long journey, a small crowd and a strong feeling of confidence are the ingredients for an upset especially against opposition who have nothing to lose and are certainly up for the occasion. But Bath went for a big win and achieved it spectacularly.

Webster, of course, is a former rugby league man and there is no secret where he would have learned the importance of concentration. Last week I defended rugby league players against the accusation that they gave poor value when they were signed by union clubs. I would have thought they'd be worth the money for the example they could set in keeping their minds on the job.

When I moved to rugby league I was amazed at the level of concentration they could maintain week and week out. Mind you, club rugby union in those days was not as consistently competitive as it is now. There were plenty of easy games mingled with the tough ones. But in league I soon discovered that slackening off was not encouraged. Even when they are getting a tanking, rugby league teams still keep trying to the bitter end.

It is part of the game's general attitude which, in turn, was helped by a pay structure geared to results. When you get pounds 300 for winning and only pounds 50 if you lose, it tends to concentrate the mind. Union players seem to pick up a big cheque whether they win or lose, which may not be the best idea.

I hadn't been in league for very long when Widnes lost to St Helens in the semi-final of the Challenge Cup. My wife Karen was in the stand with the other wives and when one of them started crying at the end, Karen tried to comfort her by saying they'd get to Wembley the following year. But she wasn't worried about Wembley. "That's my new conservatory gone," she said.

If you can get the entire team married off to demanding wives with ambitious house-enlargement plans, then you would not have much trouble with commitment but there is another reason why it is easier to keep concentration in league than it is union and that's the nature of the game.

Although I love both codes, I found league the more fulfilling because you are more involved in the game and if you want the ball, they are only too pleased to give it to you. For a back in union, there are long periods of inactivity in which it is easy for your mind to wander and for you to lose focus.

I used to cope by switching off completely while waiting for a scrum or a line-out to be set-up and then re-focus when the action was about to start. The ability to turn it on and off like a tap worked for me, but there are others who have to maintain their concentration at all times otherwise they cannot get it back. Either way, keeping the minds of his team fixed on their objectives is one of the hardest jobs faced by the coach and his staff.

There are five or six clubs who can beat anyone on their day - the trick is to make sure that their day comes once a week and not once a month.