Anthony Watson revealed to visualize the precise details of the counter-class finish. Wales During the structuring to the UK’s Guinness Six Nations victory in Cardiff
Watson’s first England The start in two years was garnished with a crucial 19th-minute tryout that saw Alex Dombandt collect his long pass and jump into the corner while in the air and land on the ground.
There were sweet moments for the 29-year-old actress. Leicester A serious knee injury followed by wing, then minor calf, hamstring and thigh snarls put his career on hold after returning to South Africa from the 2021 Lions tour.
Remarkably, he envisioned the comeback score in one of the 20-minute meditation-like sessions he had planned for matchday preparation for almost a decade.
“I was very nervous before the game. It felt like a long back trip – it almost felt like the first cover,” Watson said.
“I don’t really judge my game quality by trials, but being able to score in the corner was nice and something I spent most of the week visualizing.
“It is strange that it is exactly as I imagined it. He was literally in the corner because I was playing on the left wing and the ball was ending like that in my right hand.
“The power of visualization is so important that I experimented when it turned out exactly as I had it in my head.
“Visualization is how I try to calm myself before matches. I go into a lot of detail about it, it depends on what comes to mind at the time.
“It starts with how it will look from a bird’s eye view and then how it will feel for me.
“It puts me in a good place for what’s ahead and calms me down. These visualization periods are the only times I think about the game. I do it on my own and if you saw me doing it you would probably think I looked crazy!
“It’s a common thing to do now. There is more respect for the power of mental techniques to prepare for games. Everyone is different, it will be useful for some people and completely useless for others.
“I find it really helpful in terms of blocking out time to think about the game and it allows me to calm down and do whatever else I want to do outside of it.”
Watson works with Don Macpherson, and among the famous British mentor’s former clients was Brazilian Formula One wonder Ayrton Senna.
“Don said his mind was in the front corner while Ayrton Senna’s body was in the corner now,” Watson said.
“It was something that resonated with me to try to stay one step ahead, to take a break before there was a break, and to have foresight for what might happen.”