In rugby, when you get given a penalty you have a choice to make. You can go for posts, which if successful nets you 3 points. Or you can position yourself for a try scoring opportunity which if successful nets you 5 points with a chance of giving yourself 2 extra points if you goal it.

Normally if you take the shot at posts you are successful. Most of the time if you go for the try you are not. As with everything in life, the greater the reward the greater the risk. More than that, it comes down to decision making. When do you take the 3 points on offer, and when do you risk the chance for 7 points. Rugby games are won or lost on those decisions.

Normally it's a good idea to go for the 3 points. You normally get them and it keeps the score board ticking over. Often it keeps you close enough to winning the game to win it in the end, or just keeps the other team out of range. However when the gap between the two teams scores widen and the clock ticks down, it's time to make the decision to risk the more certain points and go for the try. When you're 21 points down with 15 minutes to go, you need the big scores, and so you have to risk it.

Knowing when to risk it, is a great lesson sport can teach us in life.

On Saturday England made the decision to put themselves in a try scoring position twice and go for the 7 points. It was the right decision the first time, the second time it lost them the game.

The first time was 2 minutes into the game. New Zealand conceded a penalty and instead of taking the easy points, England went for the lien out, in an attacking try scoring position. They caught NZ (easily the stronger team) off guard and were 7-0 in under three minutes. The reasons this was a good decision was because it was really early in the game. England was fresh, and had nothing to lose. They also took NZ by surprise and gave themselves a massive moral boost.

Late in the game, England was trailing by 10 points. Again given the opportunity to goal an easy 3 points or go for the try they took the chance for the try. This time NZ was ready for them and England came away with nothing. The next two penalties England got offered they took the shot at posts and got 6 points for, leaving them 4 points adrift and still needing a try to win.

A string of penalties in the last few minutes England had to go for the try. They didn't have enough time left to take the three points, and then get another shot at scoring. England had run out of choices. NZ held up and England lost.

Had England taken the 3 points on offer at 3-0 down, they would have landed up lonely 1 point adrift in the final minutes. Even if they didn't get the penalties a drop goal could have put them ahead. They took the chance of success away from themselves early on by going for try. It was the wrong decision at that point of the game.

Granted you never quite know what would have happened, but they definitely reduced their chances of winning when they came away with nothing instead of 3 points.

Sometimes in life, as in sport you need to give yourself a chance to win. You need to make decisions and you need pick the right time for those decisions. My failing often is not knowing the right time to throw myself in go for the try, and not knowing the right time to take it slow and steady and keep the score ticking over.

Sport can teach us a lot about life.