We all know data and sport – what happens when data is denied and sport wins.

For me one of the most emotional moments in sport was in the 2015 Rugby Union World Cup, with Japan playing South Africa. In the world of rugby, South Africa is a giant, Japan however is a very enthusiastic minion.  

With 7 minutes to go the score was 32 to 29, to South Africa. The only time Japan had won a World Cup game was 24 years before, against Zimbabwe. The Japanese team was attacking almost from their own line and drove South Africa back to their line with a solid 4 minutes of play.

With less than 2 minutes to go Japan was awarded a penalty and they had opportunity to create a major upset in the world of Rugby Union by kicking a penalty. Instead, they kicked the ball out and went for the line out to play for possession and a try.

The ball was thrown in, they took a maul to the line that was held up. A scrum, and then a second scrum after a penalty advantage and then a third was called back by the referee as the scrum turned the 180 degree, then reset because of a collapsed scrum.

So Japan with smaller exhausted players had a chance to kick a penalty again and create history by drawing – but played on. In one minute, there was 7 mauls and then the ball was fed out to the Japanese back line. They then managed to squeeze in a try in the left hand corner, winning the game.

The commentators described what he had witnessed as impossible. You can see this on YouTube and even if you have no interest in Rugby, you would have to admit with atmosphere of the crowd and the players – it’s one of the most emotional moments in sport.

The fact that Japan was down 32 to 29 with 7 minutes to go was against all the data.

The fact that the Japanese was in a position to kick a penalty and draw was against the data. The data said; take the kick – this is the best you will ever do.

To not have taken a penalty kick at the next penalty was against the data. The South Africans were still providing solid defence, a draw itself would have been historical.

But no, something much deeper than the data, something far more human was at play. The Japanese team changed the game that day and played for something very deep, something that numbers can’t measure.

Sometimes when my business life is hard and I am trying to create something new, grow or even keep going, I will watch the last 10 minutes of this game. To prepare myself to go in committed. In those last 3 minutes of the game, Japan had to play a line out, pack down 5 times against the big South Africans, as well as put themselves in harm’s way by playing in 7 mauls. For the same effect, try running into a brick wall 15 times.

We’ve all heard the term, “go hard or go home.”

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