More pearls of perspicacity from the seer of Super Rugby. This week's dissertation is titled: "Tahs must play like Beale or die wondering." As we have come to expect from the great man the article's contents live up to the sheer poetry of that headline.
"Beale was outstanding from fullback and the only one to make a significant impact on the opposition. The ease with which he beats players and the confidence with which he is playing, though, is not rubbing off on others. They need to play with freedom as Beale is, and try their own luck."
Who needs enemies when one of your own coaching staff slags you off so publicly? "Only one of you blokes made a significant impact on the opposition. You need to play with freedom as Beale is, and try your own luck. And yes, I'm looking at you, Benn Robinson."
"The Waratahs need to look at themselves and say, 'I am good - no actually, I am the best,' because by talking yourself up you give yourself a sense of belief. It might be untrue on some occasions (that's a game of cat and mouse the coaches sometimes play) but at least they will run out wearing their imaginary bulletproof vests. I am sure Beale walks out on to the field and says: 'No one will touch me this week and, if they do, well done to them but I will be coming back at you for another crack'."
How powerful are the messages here? "I am good - no actually, I am the best." Muhammad Ali's famous line, "I am the greatest!" would have had so much more resonance had he rephrased it, "I am alright - no actually I am the greatest!"
And then think of the impact if the whole team walked out on the field and said: "No one will touch me this week and, if they do, well done to them." I'm afraid that one's a bit subtle for me but that would be because I never played Super Rugby.
Fifty years ago Norman Vincent Peale wrote the multi-million selling "The Power of Positive Thinking." Negotiations are well advanced for our very own Matthew to write a sequel which has the working title: "The Power of More or Less Semi-Positive Thinking".
"During my time in Britain I played for a team that was all about getting points on the board. Scoring tries. We took the approach in some games that if the opposition would score three tries, we would score four. We might have let in a few, but at least we scored some as well."
And it worked. In the four seasons that our man played for the Newcastle Falcons from 2004-2005 to 2007-2008 their proud record in the English Premiership was 7th, 7th, 9th and 11th.
Surely the Falcons would not take offence if the Waratahs borrowed from them the slogan; "We might let in a few, but at least we score some as well."
