"When you try your best and you don't succeed"

A lot has been said and written about the All Blacks loss to France. Here are a few random thoughts.

I am not angry that they lost. I am not angry at the All Blacks. If you cannot support teams when they lose you are not a supporter you are a bandwagon-jumper.

It reminds me, funnily enough, of the London bombings on 7/7/7 (it does not escape me that it was 7/10/7 - there's a symmetry there). I felt, when London was attacked, more love and connection and desire to stand by my "home" city, in all its glory and difficulty, its brilliance and batteredness.

It also reminds me of Twickenham 1999. I was there too. I haven't been back to Twickenham since. The utter impotence of being out-yelled by the French, and the feeling that if we could just make more noise we might help the players win, and the disbelief I remember well. Also the friendliness of the very happy French fans.
So too, I still support the players.

I am also drawn, strongly, to comparisons with the book Blink, by Malcolm Gladwell, the story of Paul Van Riper, the experienced military commander, whose innate battle-hardened-ness and cunning overcame the scientific experts over-thinking and over-processing on the other side.

The difference between success and failure was 2 points, or 1 kick at goal. 1 decision, any one decision, by referee or player, could have made a difference. Would we have all this rush to judgment if a drop-goal had gone over? I think not.

There's no need to rush to sacking coaches. Everyone would do well to take six weeks off and review the situation with cool heads. Where's the urgency?

I am utterly unimpressed by the rush to recriminations all round - the bitter bashing of an (un)fair few sticking the boot in. Thank goodness for Grant Fox, David Kirk and Nick Farr-Jones, who remain rational and balanced.

Also thank heavens - no more of the "believe in black" ads - this is a team grossly over-branded, and that, my friends, was beyond credibility. The Weet-bix ad aside (which, when you think about it, is more of a public health campaign - New Zealanders might well be better off if we ate more Weet Bix, and there is a genuine match of values) the current crop of sponsorship tends towards the exploitative and over-hyped.

It isn't "just a game". It is a game, but not "just" a game.

My brother was at Cardiff Arms Park/Millenium Stadium. I was at Twickenham in 1999. On a note of sheer pragmatic superstition, I think my family should avoid supporting the All Blacks in person against France in future... That said, tickets to the 2011 Rugby World Cup will probably be all for corporates and $500+ a ticket so we may not find that too difficult!

Aaah well. C'est la vie.