With two matches of the autumn internationals to go, what has struck me most about the last month is the small margins – just how many matches have gone down to the wire and ultimately been decided by clarity of thought. The number of times I’ve seen teams unable to show the necessary level of clarity has shocked me and it’s something that really has to improve between now and the World Cup.
Go back to the start of the autumn and Scotland against Australia. It wasn’t a great game, neither side was dominant but why was it that Nic White knew the lawbook inside out at the end and Scotland just did not see it coming? White knew exactly what he had to do – get the ball off the field come what may – but where was the clear thinking from Scotland to get players on the boundaries of the field to make it so much more difficult for him?
