Winston Churchill once said: ‘Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference’.

And he was right. Having the right mental attitude is virtually ALWAYS a key factor in determining how successful you are. Positive people are, by and large, far more adept at making lemonade when life gives them lemons. And you don’t need to be Anthony Robbins to do that either. While it’s true that success is often achieved by timing, skill, perserverance, strength or ability – these variables are invariably magnified further by the added presence of an excellent mental attitude.

Think about it. What happens when you are faced with stress or adversity? What controls the way in which you react? It’s your attitude to it. How well you handle a situation when your back’s to the wall, the odds seem stacked against you and the proverbial shit has hit the fan. Attitude becomes the template with which you can take stock, formulate your next course of action, muster up every ounce of courage you’ve got, take a deep breath and carry on.

Underwriting this concept or thinking is the other crucial element of belief. If you do nothing else, you HAVE to believe. Sports people understand this concept well. They have to ooze an attitude of inner confidence that is so rock-solid no-one can shake it. If they don’t, self-conscious doubt will trip them up before the referee’s first blow of the whistle even sounds.

Which leads me to what at I’m trying to say now. Our ‘attitude’ and what we’re doing with it, is something I’d like every All Black supporter to think long and hard about today.

For those who aren’t in the loop, every AB fan on the planet is currently coming to terms with the worst possible news imagineable: our maestro of magic, our architect of awesome, Dan ‘The Man’ Carter is OUT of the 2011 Rugby World Cup. During training yesterday he suffered a freak groin injury. News of this has been devastating for all, not the least of which, Dan himself. Coach Graham Henry has been obliged to name a replacement, a job next to impossible as no-one can hold a candle to Dan Carter’s mental abilities or his brilliance on the field.

However, the bloke who’s got the nod is one Colin Slade. He’s a young player with solid abilities, yet a little underdone in the experience department. He has been given the monumental task of trying to fill the shoes of Dan Carter during the World Cup stage and honestly, you can’t envy him the job. His previous outings at No 10 so far have not been overly impressive and there have been moments when he has faltered under the intense pressure. However, Dan Carter, to his absolute credit, has already come out and given this young man his total support saying that we need to get behind Colin; the rest of the All Black team and coaching staff have already overwhelmingly done so.


And this is what I’m getting at. We need to change this negative ‘OMG, the dream is over!’ attitude I keep seeing in the media and get with the programme! Yes, Dan is out and it’s a tragedy for everyone; sport can be cruel mistress and the timing of this injury sucks. BUT – and here’s the important bit – the All Blacks are made up of a TEAM, not just one player. We are blessed with a depth of quality in our side that other rugby nations can only dream about and every bloke on that list is simply waiting for the chance to step up finish the job they started with Dan.


As is Colin Slade. He, more than anyone, will want to do everything he can to get our boys over the line. The key here is the overall attitude – he’ll be doing it with the total support from his team mates and coaching staff. As it should be. We as fans need to get behind Colin too, no matter what our own opinions are, for the good of the TEAM.


The All Blacks are still an awesome proposition for any side and as such, will be very hard to beat with or without Dan Carter. Our Men in Black are not considered the number one side in the world for nothing.


One of the main reasons for this is their attitude – they all believe.


We need to keep the faith – so should we.


GO BLACK!