‘Front up’. ‘Be a man’. ‘Your hour has come’. You’ve heard the phrases continuously down through the years if you’ve been any kind of a sports fan. That speech from Any Given Sunday is probably also burned into your mind, the one where Al Pacino speaks of life being about the inches. Inspirational stuff.

Psychology in sport perfectly captures the complexity of the human psyche with its battle of wits; it encompasses the reaction to success or disappointment and the generation and harnessing of belief.

The former Leinster, Ulster and Scotland rugby coach Matt Williams, an Aussie, was on radio this week previewing the Ireland/New Zealand rugby game at the new Lansdowne Road. Now Williams would not be a particular favourite of mine, having a tendency to speak a particular brand of the English language that can easily grate if you aren’t prepared for it (i.e. he can be a bit of a bullshitter).

Yet to his credit, Williams always seeks to accentuate the positive, to see the glass as being half full rather than half empty. And so it was that during the week he appeared on Newstalk’s excellent ‘Off the Ball’ show, prognosticating on this weekend’s clash between Ireland and New Zealand. Instantly Matt was banning the use of the phrase ‘All Blacks’, believing (correctly) that the patented phrase conferred an aura on the men from The Land of the Long White Cloud that was detrimental to their opponent’s psyche.

This match between Ireland and New Zealand has unfortunately encapsulated much of what is wrong with our country right now. The level of fatalism surrounding the contest has been dispiriting to say the least. The trepidation that seems to have accompanied the All Blacks’ (sorry Matt) visit here has only been matched by the reaction to representatives of the IMF arriving in Dublin.

We seem to be ready to roll over and die, allowing our bellies to be tickled in the process. The lack of fighting spirit among Irish sports fans this past week has been worrying, and perfectly captures the lack of confidence in these parts since the Celtic Tiger began to whimper.

Our rugby team’s recent form mirrors perfectly the fortunes of Ireland itself. A couple of years ago we had the golden generation of rugby players, flying high with the Celtic Tiger. But then cracks began to appear – now team and nation are bruised, with egos that need careful massaging.

The time for redeeming ourselves is at hand, starting with this rugby contest against the New Zealanders. Williams spoke eloquently and effectively during the week, explaining that the Kiwis are just human beings. They bleed just as we do and have been defeated by sides that we consequently went on to defeat.

Ireland need every conceivable psychological advantage heading into this contest. If they don’t believe they can win, then they have no point in going out to play New Zealand. Logic dictates that we should not even be on the same pitch as Graham Henry’s payers on Saturday, but since when did logic monopolise sport? Surely we can dream a little, convince ourselves that maybe this is the time when we finally lay the ghost of never having defeated New Zealand to rest.

Some have made calls for Ireland to negate the impact of the Haka before kick-off, with talk of a repetition of Willie Anderson’s march on the Kiwis’ pre-match ritual. On that occasion twenty-one years ago the Irish captain advanced his men toward the Kiwis (whilst performing the Haka) who must have been perplexed at the sight of fifteen mad Irish men coming their way.

The IRB may frown on such a policy in Lansdowne Road tomorrow, but what the hell, are we men or mice? Throwing pieces of grass in the air (as Brian O’Driscoll did in 2005) will do nothing to counteract the Haka – there is no point in pussyfooting about. A bit of ‘bollock and bite’ (as they used to say) would set the tempo. It’s all about making a statement of intent (think Martin Johnson and his refusal in 2003 to move his English team during the pre-match ceremonies at Lansdowne Road).

Right now this country needs any positivity it can find. Saturday provides us with a chance to display the raw Irish passion that we have always been renowned for. Perhaps we lost some of that hard edge during the Celtic Tiger years, growing soft on the largesse of it all.

A return to basics is what we need right now to set our country back on the path to success. A win against the A** B***** would be the perfect starting point.

As the great Ciarán Fitzgerald once asked - ‘Where’s your f*****g pride?!’

Linked article:
Here come the men in black - Emmet Moloney