Lealiifano paying penalties in beer
Some goal-kickers get told to practice harder when they fail. Brumbies captain Ben Mowen has come up with a novel idea of raising the bar for his team's striker – beer penalties.
Speaking to the Australian Associated Press ahead of their Super Rugby preliminary knock-out match against the Chiefs in Canberra on Saturday, Mowen revealed that Christian Lealiifano will be 'penalised' two beers each time he misses a kick at goal.
The Brumbies' No.12 kicked goals at 78 percent last season. However, following off-season ankle surgery, Lealiifano has struggled to find that same rhythm, kicking at just 49 percent in 2014.
After missing his first conversion attempt during their final Super Rugby league match against the Western Force last Friday, Mowen pulled Lealiifano aside for a quick chat.
"I said: 'If you miss any more you owe me a schooner a kick'. He owes me about three schooners," Mowen said.
But Lealiifano on Monday revealed the stakes have been raised even higher for Saturday's preliminary qualifier against defending champions the Chiefs in Canberra.
"We've just doubled it. We said double or nothing if [Mowen] kicked one from forty metres, and he just kicked it out there in training. So I now owe him six," Lealiifano said.
Lealiifano played down suggestions his right ankle was still the source of his kicking concerns, saying it had become more a mental issue.
"It's something I've got to work hard at – mentally trying to relax," he said.
"But when the boys are running over scoring tries you do relax a little.
"I feel as though I'm hitting them well, just need a little bit of luck."
Bets and jokes aside, Mowen is confident his side's go-to kicker will soon rediscover the form that has won both Super Rugby and Test matches in recent years.
"You just keep handing him the ball because you trust him – he's won so many games off the back of his boot," Mowen said.
"His best kicking is just about to come."
Source: AAP
