White water rafting, Bungee jumping, Helicopter riding, Midget wrestling and beds that are too soft. Are England in New Zealand to play rugby or to see who can be involved in the most unusual front page headline ?
After disappointing performances against Argentina (in the now famous Black England Shirt) and Georgia you would think that the focus should be on performances on the pitch, not Mike Tindalls showing on the dancefloor.
But are we being too harsh ? Are players not allowed to unwind and relax after an extremely physically tough Test Match ? I would say that they are, only I don't believe that any of the things they have done are particularly relaxing.
I certainly don't believe that throwing yourself off a cliff helps you unwind, so maybe the players are adopting a different approach. Maybe they are getting involved in what is known as 'team bonding exercises'.
Before the 2001 Ashes held in England, Australias cricketers visited Shell Green, near the coast of the Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey. 9000 Australian soldiers lost their lives there during the 1st World War.
The then captain of Australia Steve Waugh noted how the trip had brought everyone involved closer together as a group.
How having shared an experience like that with his team mates it made him really want to give everything he had for them whenever he was on the pitch, and how it was also an opportunity for personal development. The result of the following test series? Australia demolished England 4-1.
Maybe England would benefit from a similar trip where the players could come together as a group to experience something real, something that matters to people, instead of coming together to sort out the next round at the bar.
Should England stutter again this Saturday against Romania then they will have nowhere to hide next time they go out.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment