South Africa showed plenty of mental endurance to win the World Cup.
When it comes to talking about rugby in the most basic terms, it can be easy to reduce the sport down to a game where the physical strength of the players involved is all important. After all, that physicality is often key to the performance of a team and whether they ultimately have the ability to succeed in the scrum or other critical moments of the game.
However, it is fair to say that there is much more to rugby than simply the force and strength of competitors, as the mental aspect of the sport is undoubtedly key to a team’s chances of success. Here we take a look at why mental outlook can come into play in a rugby match, as well as how embracing so-called ‘mind sports’ like poker could help players to improve their abilities.