Have you ever witnessed a team make a huge comeback after what seemed sure to be a loss? These moments are a rarity in sport and take an extraordinary amount of skill to pull off. But being able to bounce back during a game takes more than just simply “playing better” – sport is as much of a mental battle as it is physical, and there are lots of psychological factors that contribute to performing well when things aren’t looking good.
Here at InnerDrive, we’ve been particularly interested in a recent rugby match between England and New Zealand. Given how the game was looking, the final result shocked us all, and the psychology behind the comeback was fascinating. Here is a run-down of what happened in the match and how England could have managed this recovery.
What happened in this England vs All Blacks rugby game?
These two huge teams have a long history of rivalry, having played 43 matches against each other in the past. However, having won only 8 of these, the odds looked to be against England before the match had even started.
And it was still looking that way at half time, with New Zealand leading 17-3, increasing to 25-6 inside the final 10 minutes. But to everyone’s surprise, something happened in those final few minutes that saw England bringing the score to an impressive 25-25 draw.
So, what could cause such a comeback? Here are some factors that could have helped them bounce back after what was looking like a defeat…
Challenge states vs Threat states
When you’re playing a tough team like the All Blacks, it’s normal to perceive them as threatening. According to research, a threat state is characterised by being challenging, requiring a lot of effort, and putting someone under high pressure to perform. When teams find themselves in these situations, they may perform avoidance behaviours and act more defensively than in an attacking manner.
Considering England’s past losses against New Zealand, it would be understandable for them to be in a threat state, and see their confidence levels decrease. A reduction in confidence leads to avoidance behaviours, which may explain why England favoured defence and missed opportunities to score in the first half.
However, in the last 10 minutes, it looked as though England may have been in a challenge state, which is characterised by high levels of self-efficacy, control and a strong focus on certain goals. Of course, this is easier said than done, but it is all about mindset and how you perceive the other team. Essentially, it’s about seeing a strong opponent as a challenge to overcome.
High levels of mental toughness can facilitate this mindset shift. Mentally tough athletes are resilient and stay persistent even when things are going sideways.
Team Cohesion
How well a team works together is an essential part of their performance. When they’re united, they’re already on a path to success; if they’re disjointed, this will be a lot harder to achieve.
England’s performance in the first 40 minutes could be explained by Steiner’s Group Effectiveness Model, which explains that "faulty processes" hinder group productivity. This can include reduced communication, or players putting less effort in due to lower motivation. With a tough task ahead of them and a big gap to make up, England’s motivation levels may have understandably been lower than usual.
However, this was not the end for England. With 8 minutes to go, they pulled on their team cohesion and built up their motivation to achieve an amazing score. Whether it was the encouragement from the home crowd or New Zealand’s yellow card that did it, they allowed a small spark to unleash a chain reaction of confidence.
England were then better able to work together as a team and the game started to flow in their favour. Point after point, the final moments of the game were a true display of group cohesion, allowing the team to overcome defeat and bounce back to draw.
Seizing opportunities
While it takes more to be successful than the opposing team having a stumble, part of it is about taking opportunities when you see them. For England, this was when Beauden Barrett received a yellow card for an illegal challenge on Will Stuart with 8 minutes left in the game.
England went on to score three tries after this, bringing the score to a draw.
A possible explanation for this is that England saw their opposition losing a team member as an opportunity to take the advantage, increasing their self-confidence and improving their performance as a result.
Another explanation could be that losing a player disrupted the All Blacks’ momentum. But this wouldn’t mean that the draw was only a result of New Zealand’s misfortune – England still needed to work hard for it and stay mentally strong and focused.
The lesson here: keep an eye out for unexpected opportunities and use them to increase your team’s confidence and morale. Your performance will only get stronger and better.
Final thoughts
England’s comeback in the last 8 minutes of this match was a sight to behold, and it’s something that athletes of every sport can learn from: never stop striving for success, even when things aren’t going your way.
Just because a team are losing doesn’t mean that they can’t turn things around. If they can be mentally tough, engage in challenge behaviours, work cohesively as a team, and take advantage of any opportunity that comes their way, they could still be on track to achieve greatness.
