Rugby, like all sports, can teach anyone how to achieve competitive success and how not to achieve it! It also teaches principles that can bring spectacular success both in sport and outside sport.
The quarter finals had arrived in France at last on Saturday, Oct 6th 2007. The best eight teams in the world were ready to do or die! Competition is intense in the knockout stage of any tournament and anything can happen.
However, few people believed that England would conquer Australia, the most successful nation in the World Cup Series. Australia had played well in the years before the world cup and had defeated all their rivals in the pool stage of the world cup itself. England, on the other hand, had suffered a humiliating defeat in the pool stage.
The majority of spectators were in for a big shock in the quarter finals. Those who had lost their belief in miracles found out that miracles still do occur and that the impossible really is possible.
Successful people often believe in miracles and that they can defeat in the present whatever has defeated them in the past.
England played Australia in Marseilles. Australia were considered to be winners who were out for revenge for past losses. England were now thought of as losers and the worst world champions in the entire world series.
England's defeat against South Africa by 36 - 0 in the pool stages had made most of their fans give up all hope of victory against Australia. England appeared to be on their way out of the tournament.
However, the humiliating defeat against South Africa had changed the mental attitude in the England camp. Humiliation and abject failure can be the starting point for success!
Will Greenwood, the English rugby legend and commentator said:
"The weather is stinking hot. In the first part of the game, England need to come out of the blocks storming and creating panic in the ranks of the opposition. They need to play like a mad dog or like 'crazy horse' Moody."
Greenwood continued: "Lewis Moody gives England a sense of madness and of something being possible. England need to play with commitment bordering on recklessness. We have to put doubts in the minds of the Australians. Action today will speak a hundred times louder than the one word - revenge."
Successful people know that at times they must go a little crazy and take extreme steps to succeed.
An interviewer spoke to the England hero, Jonny Wilkinson: "Millions will be watching and saying 'Jonny's there; we'll be fine.'"
Jonny Wilkinson replied: "That's good for them. They'll soon see that rugby is about fifteen players against fifteen. Everyone must hold up their hand and be counted. You just need to get your head down and trust what you are doing and give everything. You just give it your best shot and you leave the field with your head held high."
If England were to win it would take fifteen heroic performances. Could England defy the odds and send Australia back home from Marseilles? Very few people believed that they could.
History would count for nothing. It was all about the here and now. England had one last chance to escape the debris of their disappointing four year reign as World Champions since their victory in 2003.
England accepted the fact that they were seen as underdogs. Australia had beaten England in their last four meetings but would England be ready to accept another defeat?
England started the game explosively but Australia had the first chance of points. Mortlock missed a penalty. He was then given a second chance and scored three points. 0-3 to Australia.
He later missed another controversial penalty. England's rugby song 'Swing Low Sweet Chariot' broke out.
'Swing Low, Sweet Chariot' was composed by Wallis Willis, a one-time slave of a Choctaw Indian in the old Indian Territory. He was inspired by the Red River which reminded him of the Jordan River and of the Prophet Elijah being taken to heaven by a chariot.
The chariot in the song was a kind of heavenly taxi that came to earth near the river Jordan to take Elijah up to heaven - a major miracle in those days.
As Elijah went up, he dropped his mantle, a symbol of his power, for Elisha to pick up. Elisha continued the miracles performed by his mentor. Successful people believe in miracles and in repeating or even outdoing the performances of their mentors. England needed a miracle badly.
England played well with some skilful passing and kicking and they achieved a penalty a fair distance from the Australian posts. Wilkinson scored with an excellent kick 3-3. He then had the opportunity for another one. The kick went over and England were leading 6-3
England were playing on the front foot and winning the contact - exactly what the doctor ordered. 'Swing Low' broke out again. Wilkinson missed a penalty but England were playing with confidence and had something to build on.
Australia may have been complacent but they now scored a try - a good riposte to England's dominant period of play. The big Australian backs had hurt England. First tackles were missed and this put England under pressure.
6-10 to Australia. Wilkinson missed another kick. Half time arrived. England could start to lift their ambitions. There was reason for hope. Australia led but this was a close match.
Lynagh, the Australian commentator and former rugby legend, was enjoying the game: "England have come to play and they are playing the best they have for a long time."
Will Greenwood was hopeful: "The first half was dynamic in thought and deed. We need to keep the intensity going for the next forty minutes. England need to up the pace when they can."
Some of the England team were defying their birth certificates and the hot weather. Successful people avoid making excuses!
Wilkinson scored a penalty won by the England forwards who were winning the scrums. 9-10. Australia now attacked with energy. Martin Johnson commented: "This game right now is in the balance. Whoever scores the next points should win."
Suddenly, the impossible could be dreamed about. The Australians were off side and Wilkinson kicked a penalty. 12-10 to England!
The English pack had turned a small hope into one of massive expectation. They needed to keep the ball now and test Australia's mental powers and self-belief.
It was fairly subdued in Marseilles. The England crowd couldn't quite believe that they were within minutes of beating the Australians favourites.
Wilkinson missed a crucial penalty. Five minutes left to play! Mortlock, in turn, missed a penalty which would have given Australia the match. Two minutes without a score from Australia and England would win.
Two minutes seemed like hours. They passed without any further scoring and England had won! The self belief of the Australians had drained away and, at the end, England had the self-belief.
England were now into the semis against either France or the All Blacks. Marseilles was turning white. The day that was meant to be Australian green and gold was English white.
Sport and life can do amazing things. It was England's third world cup win in a row against Australia. The match was a thunderbolt with Australia on the losing end of it!
Martin Johnson commented: "I woke up thinking Australia would win in the hot weather but I think the Australians thought that they only had to turn up to win the game."
Andy Gomarsall, the attacking English scrum half, commented: "I cannot believe it. Quite honestly, I cannot believe it!"
"How did you do it?"
"Sheer grit and bloody mindedness. It wasn't pretty. We believed we could do it. There were plenty that believed we couldn't. The forward pack were phenomenal. They got a turnover and went mad. They inspired us to a victory."
The England team had been vindicated. They had beaten the most successful team in world cup history. Jason Robinson found words to say:
"Every man and his dog had written us off. Today was our day. We just dug deep. It was great to do it for the crowd."
Some one else said: "As long as those thirty guys believed in themselves - that's the key. The Australians must feel they've gone back to the scene of an accident and crashed again."
Lynagh commented: "England were just too strong up front for Australia. The big hits from all the England players shook the ball loose. You could see the belief building in the stadium."
Phil Vickery, the England captain exclaimed: "Fantastic atmosphere!"
"How did you do it?"
"I don't know really. A bit of belief, dogged determination. We just tried our guts out."
An interviewer questioned Nick Easter, a powerful England forward: "How do you feel, Nick?"
Nick's was still angry with the English press who had slated England from the start of the tournament:
"Good, to be fair. I'd like to thank the press from the heart of my bottom for all the support they've given us over the last weeks. A few guys have given us a slight siege mentality to pull off a victory like that and its now onwards and upwards.
"Well, you saw a fully committed performance from all fifteen players. We destroyed them up front. We had a good look in their eyes at about the 50th minute and we knew we would win. We proved people outside our changing room wrong. Not inside our changing room. It was a bit of an insult to be underdogs in this game to be perfectly honest but we knew we could win and have done the job."
England had missed some opportunities to score points in the match but had just fought back when this happened. Andrew Sheridan, a top England front row forward was asked for his opinion:
"It was an effort from everyone. Every one put themselves on the line today. There always are nervous moments against Australia. They never give up until the end."
"How long did it take before you started believing England would win?"
"79 minutes and 80 seconds!"
England had shoved the words of their critics back down their throats. They had remembered who they were - the world champions of 2003. Meanwhile thirty Wallabies would be back home in Australia watching the semi-finals on TV!
The England v Australia quarter final can change your life if you study and apply its lessons. It teaches the following success principles:
Believe in miracles and believe that you can defeat in the present whatever has defeated you in the past.
Your humiliations and failures can be the starting points for success!
At times, you may have to go a little crazy and go to extremes to succeed!
Realize that success usually involves team work. Everyone must hold up their hand and be counted. Don't hesitate to ask for help and support from others when necessary.
Give it your best shot and then, whatever else happens, you can stand tall and hold your head high.
Repeat the performances of your mentors even if they seemed like miracle workers. Try to outdo them.
Don't let your birth certificate or the weather deflect you from success. Avoid excuses.
Try your guts out. Belief is not enough on its own. Work and believe.
Success may demand sheer grit and bloody mindedness.
Believe that you can achieve your goals. There are plenty that believe you can't.
Show both belief and dogged determination.
If you do all the above, you should, one day, see that chariot arriving to take you to heaven and you might even be able to pass on the mantle of your power to others before you go!
John Watson is an award winning teacher and 5th degree blackbelt martial arts instructor. He has written several ebooks on motivation and success topics. One of these can be found at http://www.motivationtoday.com/36_laws.php
You can also find motivational ebooks by authors like Stuart Goldsmith. Check out http://www.motivationtoday.com/the_midas_method.php
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