The R&A’s Post

Our collaboration with Patrick is going from strength to strength

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐛𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐱𝐆 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐠𝐨𝐚𝐥𝐬. 📈 Even in big misses like this you can find sustainable qualities that you can build on and it seems like Gil Vicente FC agrees. Chances are he will not miss another open-goal very soon, but what % of attackers could do even once, nevermind consistently, what Carlos Eduardo does here? 1) ⏰Timing. Doesn't sprint instantly, waits so the pass will travel less, with a better chance to reach him. 2) ↘Run direction. Diagonal run in the blindspot of 2 defenders (after he showed himself as a target man on the ball side) 3) 😎Confidence. No hesitation to go 100% for a somewhat difficult pass. 4) ⚡Speed and size. Haaland-esque, 192cm with top long-distance speed. Highly sought profile in Europe recently. 5) 🧠RESILIENCE. Misses an open-goal at 1-0. Not a single emotion shown, ready for the defensive phase.

Guess what I spotted at Dunedin airport? The Black Jersey What does this Jersey mean? It depends who you ask I imagine To teams that play the All Blacks they probably know that they’re going to be in for a battle To NZ rugby players it’s what most aspire to become, to put that black jersey on or perhaps to create a legacy or to honour that legacy of all the greats that played before them and leave it in a better place once they have moved on. The one thing that everyone can learn from is the standards that the All Blacks set is a continual drive for excellence and that winning is everything. In an age where participation is rewarded without the pressure to get a result, have we become to soft and accepting of “ AVERAGE or PARTICIPATION MEDALS?” You either create a focus on winning or a focus on participation. Which one do you prefer? Is the focus on winning to outdated? Be great to get your comments. Do you agree? #sales #salestraining #salestrainer

💬 Roberto De Zerbi: ❝We played a great game, we are improving even against low-block teams, so even you are happy because you thought we could always have more problems. The truth is that you have to understand these matches here, they are not easier or more difficult than matches where the pressure of the opponent is high and strong, they are different matches. Against Monaco and Lille they are vertical matches in big spaces, against Le Havre, against Saint-Étienne, against Auxerre when we lost here they are matches where you have to be patient, where you have to move the ball with speed, where you have to carry the ball from one side to the other and make the 1v1s, where you don't have to force passes because if you don't you get counter-attacks, and where you have to have patience and quality❞.

I believe Execution lies in Simplicity and Clarity. This is my central message when I coach teams and professionals. World Rugby has for long been on the receiving end of rugby fans worldwide for continuous law changes that are complex and don't seem to follow a constant vision for what the game should be about. Fans can't keep up and often don't understand what the hell is going on (read my frustration as well - even though I have coached with a WR Level II accreditation!) and referees are almost always lambasted for their 'interpretation' of an incredibly difficult set of rules. My view is that law complexity and constant meddling is (by far) what's hindering growth of the game and I believe it's because they don't have a clear vision for what the game should be about anymore. This week, Brett Robertson was elected as the new Chair of World Rugby. His campaign focussed on the following: "Progressive evolution of global growth strategy, deepened collaboration across the game and continued prioritisation of player welfare." While this sounds great (especially Player Welfare), I want to know what the clear strategy for improvement within THE GAME ITSELF is and not just what sounds fancy in a headline. Back when I started my Level 2 coaching, my handbook kicked off with the outcomes of the game (according to the IRB), which included the following (paraphrased): 'To create an equal contest for the ball at all times'. I certainly don't believe this is the case anymore. And I also think fans are being less and less engaged with their understanding of the game. The more the referee panel meets, the more the above seems to be the case. I'd love to see World Rugby choose a clear vision for the playing of the game and then build their strategy around this. I certainly think that a '50/50 contest for the ball and less whistle' would be a great principle to drive the Vision of a more globally attractive. The game could do with 50% less laws, especially those that govern the contest around the contact point. I could name a few, but don't want to lose focus of what I'd like to say here!... ...which is that the game needs in-game strategic change that is clear for everyone and very very simple. Forget new global competitions, franchise leagues and funky Sevens gimmicks. Improve the experience for the player, fan and referee! Let's wait and see! #worldrugby #rugby #vision #keepitsimple

What do you do with the sheep after you get them over the bridge.

Our president, Marc Guerrero, met yesterday with one of the most experienced football #executives at the top of European football, the new appointed Manchester United's CEO, Omar Berrada. There is an undeniable fascination with professional #football clubs the world over. But whilst the star players, head coaches and owners typically dominate the headlines, one of the most important figures in any club is undoubtedly its #CEO. What made CEOs successful in the past is no longer enough. The #context in which they operate has become fundamentally more #complex and traditional approaches to leadership are now insufficient. In the past, sporting success led to business success. That relationship is being reversed. In this #changing and increasingly stressful #environment, CEOs must bring to bear a unique blend of skills, experiences, and perspectives, as well as a knowledge of how to leverage the support of the board of directors, to help them run their football club.

How do you react when something goes wrong, or you suffer a big defeat? It can be easy to blame, get angry, despondent, retreating into your shell. But the really strong people tackle adversity heads on. They learn from what went wrong. They use the experience to strengthen the bonds of the team, improve processes and preparation for next time. To come back stronger. Watching Gloucester Rugby suffer a 90-0, 14 try defeat to Northampton Saints on Saturday was interesting. No shouting, no blame. They continued to apply themselves but they were simply outclassed. At the end of the game rather than disappearing straight off into the changing room they formed the traditional tunnel to applaud the opposition off the pitch (pretty much a mandatory event in rugby anyway) and then walked around the pitch thanking their fans and speaking to them. Knowing rugby players as I do, they'll learn from this and come back stronger. Whereas if we look to football there are numerous examples of teams giving up when they face adversity. Manchester United at the moment for example. The players are paid so much that they don't really care. They'll get another contract with another team. The manager will get the sack. What do you do in business when you suffer from a major disappointment?

https://lnkd.in/ewrwp7sw Scottish Rugby said an independent evaluation by specialist researchers GSIQ of its overall economic value to Scotland in the period from June to December 2024 concluded the figure was £120.4 million.

Excellent interview. Learning to deal with criticism on big event pitches without the opportunity to get the facts in the open can be difficult. The fact remains that although the pitch is the single most important asset in the stadium, it’s performance is impacted by hundreds of other decisions generally taken by others and not necessarily even the tournament managers. It’s often the case that these decisions have little or no input from the grounds manager or indeed comsultant. All we can do is continue to plan and communicate the risks and complexity of achieving these surfaces which in summer between domestic fixtures and non football use can actually be more challenging than a clear season in winter post a decent renovation!