The endless fascination of sport comes from its sole objective criterion – winning. Brian Moore writes in the Daily Telegraph.
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Bath's Butch James had an off-day with the boot against Leicester
© Getty Images
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"Unke the arts, in sport each minute counts, it will never come again and there is never the chance to put it right. Add to this the pressure of live performance and its attendant anxieties and you have a psychological minefield.
"In the weekend's Heineken Cup quarter-finals, the effect of such pressure showed that even seasoned players, of proven ability at the highest level of a World Cup final, are not immune from its debilitating effects.
"Conversely, those about whom doubts lingered demonstrated their ability to clarify their thoughts at the acutest moments and then execute the necessary. You can go further: pressure can affect a whole team, reducing players of proven class to the ranks of the ordinary club players."
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