How many lads or ladies do you know, and play with, that go on about their statistics as if they are the be-all and end-all?
The growth of statistical analysis, hitting gym numbers and GPS tracking has seen some players, and teams, veer from what makes them great in search of that great unknown. That untapped potential. The missing link.
Statistics and full-on analysis definitely have their place in the game but many players, young and old, are now getting back to basics and finding that works just fine too. Getting your hands on the ball and giving it a rip. Not worrying if you hit 10 tackles and focusing, instead, on making each tackle you make mean something.
O’Gara gave his take on the cult of statistics [from 38:40 below], as a player and a coach, on The Hard Yards rugby podcast.
His words will certainly hit home with many rugby people and could even be applied to the likes of football and GAA.
https://soundcloud.com/thehardyardssportsjoe/episode-13-the-future-for-munster-and-leinster-dealing-with-the-media-and-mike-ross-stories
During a discussion on ratings and the public’s perceptions of a player’s performance, I mentioned how sometimes statistics are used to give journalists an all too simple idea of how someone fared out on the pitch. O’Gara cut in:
“That’s what is dangerous too, because I know from coaching that stats are so dangerous.
“I’ll give you a live example. We played Montpellier last weekend and we had 14 lineouts. The stats will tell you that we won 12 out of 14, but how many balls did we play off? Two. What does that tell you, 12 out of 14?”
He added, “You win a lineout as a second row but you tap the ball back, it hits the deck and skimmies away towards the touchline. The backs are going, ‘Cheers!’
“You have to be so careful,” O’Gara cautioned.
“It’s the same with kicking stats. The greatest kickers are the guys that don’t attempt anything from over or near 40 metres because they want to protect their stats.
“That’s going on 20 years, too. It’s not just a new thing.”
Wise words from a man that knows better than most.
