Foreword: Wayne Smith

Rugby is highly demanding from a physical standpoint. But anyone who has played or coached the sport knows that the mental side of the game separates the best players from the rest. Rugby Tough will give you the mental focus you need to give the game everything you’ve got.

Learn how to apply mental skills effectively in specific match situations and get inside advice from those who’ve played, coached, and studied the game at every competitive level. Through Rugby Tough, you’ll learn new ways to toughen your mindset and eliminate costly mental errors that inhibit your best performance.

Rugby Tough starts with an emphasis on individual player development and the fundamental psychological skills you need to excel at the sport. In later chapters, the focus shifts to the importance of group dynamics and mental strategies in competitive play. From building team cohesiveness to defending and attacking mindsets, you’ll discover all the tools you need to take your game to a whole new level.

For the definitive word on mental preparation, Rugby Tough draws on the experience of coaches and sport psychologists from England, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland, Canada, Australia, and the United States. To be among the world’s best, you need the mindset of a champion. To prepare for the ultimate challenge, pick up the ultimate resource.

About the Editor

Bruce Hale possesses firsthand experience and in-depth knowledge of rugby as both a player and coach. He played as a fullback for 10 years at Penn State University. He then coached for 10 years for one of the top U.S. collegiate rugby programs at Penn State University. During that time, he led two men’s rugby teams to the U.S. Collegiate Final Four.

Hale is also a certified sport psychology consultant for the Association for the Advancement of Applied Sport Psychology (AAASP) and has served as a consultant for the U.S. rugby team. He has specialized in rugby consulting for the U.S. Eagles, the Under 19s, the Cardiff Rugby Football Club, and the Wales Elite 2000 program. Hale is currently the director of academic support services at the University of Maine at Orono. He lives with his wife, Sandra, in Glenburn, Maine.

David Collins played rugby at prop for several top-level clubs in England (Bedford, Saracens) and holds an RFU full coaching badge. He served as the sport psychologist for the English RFU and also helped coach Penn State to the collegiate final four in the United States of America. Collins is currently the head of the department of physical education, sport, and leisure studies at the University of Edinburgh.

Collins is also a sport psychologist accredited by the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES) and has consulted with many elite athletes. For BASES, he serves as the president of the psychology section. Collins resides in Edinburgh, Scotland.