Opinion: Need for leaders to take control

It was midway into the second half of the 2007 Rugby World Cup (RWC) quarterfinal, when the Flying Fijians struck with two quick converted tries to level the scores 20-20 against the Springboks.

With over 55,000 fans screaming as they sense of another possible upset win. There was uncertainty among the Springboks players as they were faced with the reality of being bundled out of the tournament. This was after the All Blacks and Australia were already on their flight back home.

During an interview with The Telegraph, then Springboks head coach Jake White said it was his captain John Smit, who immediately took charge of the situation. He called all his men behind the goalpost as they waited for Seremaia Bai’s conversion attempt.

“John told the players that he could see in their eyes what he had seen in those of the Australia and New Zealand players at the same stage in their games the previous day,” recalled White.

“He (Smit) told them to snap out of it and it was a magnificent example of leadership under the most intense pressure.”

The rest is now history, the Springboks recovered to score two late tries plus a penalty to win 37-20 as they went on to beat England 15-6 in the World Cup final.

This is what leadership is all about and a valuable lesson for the Fijian Drua co-captains Temo Mayanavanua and Frank Lomani along with the senior players who are part of the team’s leadership group.

As captain, it is not always about questioning the referee’s decision all the time or for the after match interviews.

It’s about controlling your men at all time to ensure that everyone is on the same page when the pressure is on.

This was missing from last Saturday’s 26-40 loss to Moana Pasifika in Lautoka. When the visitors scored three quick tries for a 21-0 lead, no one took control of the situation for the Drua. There was no calling of the players to gather together and instruct them to tighten their defence, how to counter the opposition or simply demand the best from them.

It is in pressure situation like this, the team leaders have got to be firm and take control because this brings stability to the team.

If the co-captains are having difficulties in handling the situation, then the team leaders have to step up to take charge.

In one such incident during the RWC 2023 semi-final, Springboks openside flanker Pieter-Steph du Toit, who is usually a quiet player famously delivered an unplanned halftime speech to his team-mates. This set them on fire because of the passionate words he had used as they beat England 16-15. Du Toit, a senior player stood up for his captain Siya Kolisi and spoke out to keep them focused on the task at hand.

The onus is now on Mayanavanua and Lomani to up their game in Sydney tonight.

They have to lead from the front by marshalling their men to stick to the task at hand, keep their discipline and to play as a unit right to the final whistle.