The All Blacks’ demolition of France yesterday came about for two reasons:

1. They fielded a better team and

2. They knew it and as a result, played like it.

When a team finds form, as the AB’s did, special things happen. The trick however is knowing what governs it rather than searching for it like the French were trying to do.

Form, good or otherwise, is a consequence of a team’s mind-set. It isn’t physical. It’s psychological.

When a team thinks like the best, they perform like the best. If they don’t, they can’t – irrespective of their potential.

What we saw yesterday more than anything was a dramatic improvement in the AB’s mind-set; hence it was the best performance we have seen from them for some time. That said, producing results like these shouldn’t be hard when they get their heads in the right spot.

The problem for most however is that getting into form remains a mystery which is why the majority of athletes tend to only ever be observers to the consequences of it rather than the determinants of it.

As we head towards the finals, the question Kiwi’s will be asking themselves is whether they can reproduce the magic again in order to take out back to back titles or whether they’ll come unstuck when it matters most.

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