Wallabies prepared for the pressure

Australia’s semi-final against New Zealand will not just be a test of skill but a thorough examination of how players perform under the pressure of playing on the world’s biggest stage.

Wallaby coaching coordinator David Nucifora said pressure was at the heart of deciding the outcome of Sunday’s trans-Tasman clash.

“It’s a massive game and how players deal with pressure during the game will dictate a lot as to what the outcome will be,” he said.

Nucifora was not alone in his assessment. Australia coach Robbie Deans agreed that the mental battle had to be won before the physical challenge of winning a World Cup semi-final could be conquered.

"It's very much mental at this point. It's too late to recreate the wheel, so to speak, in terms of the way we approach the game,” he said.

“There's not a lot you can do to change your physical state, so without a doubt your mindset and how you cope with some of the challenges is key."

Underdog contest

While the Wallabies and All Blacks quietly go about their preparations, heavy blows have already been exchanged in the pre-match jostling to claim underdog status.

The Wallabies have continuously referred to the All Blacks this week as ‘the best team in the world’, while the Kiwis keenly point out that Australia took the Tri Nations title less than two months ago.

Essentially the whole discussion is a fight to avoid the pressure that comes with being the favourite.

It is no secret that pressure can have a crippling effect on sporting performance and even the most unyielding of professional athletes are able to crack under its weight.

Nucifora said the Australian team recreated specific match scenarios during their training sessions, so the players would become accustomed to performing in a variety of pressure situations.

The 49-year-old said the answer to avoiding pressure was to focus on tasks and not the overall context in which those tasks are taking place.

Importance of focus

“You focus on what’s got to be done next and that’s pretty much the only way you can deal with it,” Nucifora said.

“If you get worried about other things and about outcomes, then you start to probably do the next task not as well as you should.

“If you let your mind wander any further than that, you’re going to be affected by all the peripheral things that go with the game.”

The Australian team does not employ the services of a sports psychologist but some players such as wing Lachie Turner have openly sought out professional mind training in the past to help them deal with on-field pressure.

But nobody experiences pressure like the goal kickers, whose success is often the difference between their team winning and losing, as was the case in the Wallabies' quarter-final win over South Africa.

Blocking out outcomes

In addition, they have enough time as they line up their goal attempt to fully contemplate the ramifications of potential failure.

For Australia kicker James O’Connor, who kicked the winning goal against the Springboks, the key to avoiding this pressure is to focus on the steps of his kicking technique, not the possibility of different outcomes.

“I think you’ve just got to take it as any other kick,” he said. “If you focus on the outcome too much, that’s when all the pressure comes.

"If you’re in the moment and just worrying about yourself and that kick, hopefully you get the outcome you want.”

For the Wallabies that outcome will be a place in the 2011 Rugby World Cup final, not that any of them will be thinking about that.

So they say.