A Nightmare before Christmas

The last game before Christmas and the first of the return fixtures took place at Croham Road on Saturday. PJF's gameplan went out of the window and the match resembled Tim Burton's 'Nightmare before Christmas' where Halloween took over Christmas. PJF started well enough but after about 10 minutes the game plan began to unravel. Refereeing decisions started to get under the players skin, rather than playing the game and concentrating on what the side was doing the lads became more and more frustrated which led to penalties being conceded to O Whits. As the game progressed the mistakes started to pile up and Whits were gifted a series of tries that in normal circumstances PJF would never concede. On the Sunday Exeter played Munster and half way through the second half, with Exeter trailing Rob Baxter, the Exeter coach, was asked what needed to change in the game plan? His measured response was "nothing, the players just needed to focus on executing the game plan more smartly", he went on to say that we should wait until the final whistle before jumping to conclusions. Ten minutes later the game had been totally turned on its head and Exeter ran out winners having stuck to their original game plan and improved their execusion of the plan against a tiring Munster side.

PJF's players on the other hand became more fragmented and the game plan went out of the window entirely. Some players tried to solve the problems single handedly with others became more bemused. The side discovered 50 ways not to score. and quite a number of ways of presenting their opponents with scoring opportunities. At full time the home side ran out 29-0 winners.

One game doesn't make a bad side, but PJF need to learn the lesson from the game. Stick to the plan and each player should focus on their role in that plan. If the plan is not quite working players should be asking what am I doing that is preventing the plan from working?
Am I in the places on the field I need to be to support my teamates?
Am I clearing out the opposition at the breakdowns that I am involved in ?
Am I running the lines I need to run?
Am I making the tackles I need to make?
Am I thinking about my game?
In other words, focus on the things that can be controlled and forget the things that can't be controlled, the referees decisions for example.

A couple of weeks over Christmas to rest and recuperate. Back out training in the new year with O Blues being welcomed to the Pightle on January 6th followed by a string of local derbies. The Old Whitgiftians game is consigned to the dustbin of history. A new year, a new resolve to play the rugby PJF are capable of, and a new year's resolution to make it up to training and lets work on perfecting our game plan.