Rugby: Tidy mind means tidy game

Convoluted contract negotiations may have disrupted Cory Jane's game this season. Photo / Getty Images

There was an obvious lift in Dan Carter's performance last week and there may well be one from Richie McCaw in Brisbane today.

As theories go, this isn't exact, but there is evidence to support the belief that players who have already confirmed their post-2011 future are more likely to play better than those who haven't.

Carter is a classic case in point. While he's been playing well all season, he took his game to another level against the Chiefs - three days after he confirmed he would be staying in New Zealand until 2015. It was vintage Carter, a man playing with a mind entirely focused.

For seven months he had his future hanging over him; any quiet moments invaded by the need to weigh up the pros and the cons, the equation forever changing. It can be mentally draining for players when they allow the process to drag on, which is partly why the New Zealand Rugby Union has put some heat on players coming off contract to get on with committing their futures.

Senior All Blacks have supported that drive. Carter and McCaw have both revealed their intentions already as have Brad Thorn, Keven Mealamu, Joe Rokocoko and Sitiveni Sivivatu. Mils Muliaina, Ma'a Nonu and Andrew Hore are thought to be close to making announcements with Sonny Bill Williams likely to be the last of the big names to confirm his post-World Cup plans.

McCaw revealed in June last year that he was veering towards staying but still admitted to a sense of satisfaction, if not relief, when he had actually put pen to paper and made the decision public.

He of all people knows how frustrating and absorbing contract talks can be, having signed an extension in 2007 on the day before the World Cup quarter-final.

He revealed a few months after the last World Cup that he had lost patience with the process and signed the day before, knowing he could later amend terms and conditions after the tournament.

It was far from ideal having the skipper spending the build-up to such a critical game embroiled in exasperating discussions. He wasn't the only one who had off-field distractions. Seven of the squad had signed overseas deals, some leaving it so late that they became bogged down in logistics related to their impending move in the midst of the tournament.

There is much to be said for a tidy mind. John Afoa and Jared Payne were among the first to announce their intentions this year - both signing contracts to play for Ulster. Their form has been impressive since. Payne in particular has been playing the best rugby of his career.

Mealamu, too, has been consistently excellent. Ben Smith is another who has recently cleared his mind and has been reaping the benefits. Cory Jane, on the other hand, has endured probably his worst season in his professional career. There are multiple reasons why Jane and, to a lesser extent, Nonu have struggled this year, but in the case of the former, his convoluted contract negotiations can surely not have helped?

He has been a shadow of his former self; playing like his mind might be on other things. His situation is unusual in that he has twice been on the verge of an agreement only to change his mind.

He is understood to have agreed terms with Ulster only to change his mind and look at a deal with a Japanese club. He was all but committed until the earthquake and subsequent tsunami forced a re-think. Ulster have retained their interest but Jane still isn't certain where he will be playing next year.

Nonu is another who hasn't been at his best in 2011 and again, while the collective failings of the Hurricanes have been a factor, he hasn't yet sorted out his long-term position. The NZRU have made him an offer and offshore predators have been circling.

The NZRU is now talking about July as a preferred deadline for players to make their minds up as they are conscious those involved in the Tri Nations can't be distracted.