My wife gave me a treat on Sunday.
My mom stayed over for the weekend, so, with the agency to offload the kids, we went off to the spa for a luxurious morning of sauna, ice water immersion and necessary body maintenance management. I am a relatively good-looking fella, but my feet drag down the overall look, so a periodic pedi is necessary for relationship health. One might say it was a treat for both of us, seen in that light.
Afterwards, with some time in the kitty, we headed down to a coffee shop in Sea Point that used to be a favourite when Caroline stayed in this neighbourhood. Said coffeeshop was busy as always on a weekend, all the gun runners in residence. They found a little table for us stuck in the corner… and then ignored us for 10 minutes.
This was the second time this happened to me. And, for the second time, we walked out and found someplace else. I won’t gravitate there again, even though as a legacy construct it’s still where I think of going first. Shaking off my legacy loyalty seems, at this point, like a good idea. Especially since door no 2, the Greek Fisherman, presented great service and the best lamb I’ve had in ages. It was also a better option for my current eating plan, which doesn’t include cappuccinos or croissants. Made perfect sense, in hindsight.
Made me think of this weekend’s rugby game in Santiago, Argentina. We’ve sent a relatively inexperienced team to go take on the Argentinians, leaving several stars at home to rest. One might argue the high-flying Springboks are believing their own press after four straight and unprecedented victories against traditional foes New Zealand and Australia. One might say they are taking the game lightly, they are gambling the tournament, they are being “windgat.”
One might be right. But let’s consider a few facts, shall we?
Our coach has been consistent in playing with an extended squad, managing top player workload while giving opportunities to up-and coming players.
The travel time to and from Santiago is about 22 hours each way. 10 hours to Sao Paulo, layover, 3 hours to Buenos Aires, layover, 2 hours to Santiago. Factor in customs, taxis, and a six-hour time difference, and it’s a big ask to show up strong.
And I don’t mean show up strong for the game in Argentina. The Pumas, as they are known, technically could still win the tournament if they soundly beat us twice. They have a strong team that has a better-than-ever chance of capitulating even our top players. Given the travel there, that becomes even more of a possibility.
So had Rassie sent the top players, and they managed to beat us despite fielding our strongest possible team… both teams would need to get back on the plane to South Africa, to come play here, with the travel fatigue, in a game that would become winner takes all.
I think we have a good chance of winning on Saturday. It’s a good team… not our very best team, but a good team nonetheless. The Pumas also have a fair chance to sneak this one, which isn’t enough. They need to give us a good old ass-whipping, then jump on a plane to come to us and face a fresh squad on home turf filled with superstars. I don’t see it happening.
If you are going to blood players and manage workloads, therefore, this game seems like the one to do it. It’s a win-win. The newbies pull it through, reputations are made. They fail, and it’s according to expectations, and we’ve stacked the deck for the return game.
It comes back to pawns and queens. Overall strategy means that occasionally you lose the short game, even though you can’t say it to the press. The Springboks, and Rassie, have an overall goal of winning an unprecedented third World Cup (and they definitely want to win this tournament). Their long- and short-term strategies, so far, have paid off. Go team!
Legacy thinking dictates every game is important. Legacy thinking dictates that we should beat the Pumas in most games. Legacy thinking demands we play the best possible combinations in every single game. But, as Rassie has proved, legacy thinking has no place in the current Springbok success story. Rejigging our thinking to embrace new realities is the hardest thing to do, but if we can, we’re better for it.
I’m camping this weekend. Better find someone with a Starlink hookup, it might turn out to be a pretty good show…
PG’s Pro Tip:
Stay the course. Innovate. Keep on top of trends. Be consistent. It’s a lot of contradictory business advice, and that’s why leadership is tough. I would suggest the trick is to hold both realities: Know your strengths, build out your core competency and value proposition, but also check your legacy thinking as environments change… and for the love of Mike, listen to the right people when things start to go wrong, and course correct quickly.
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