Starting today long-time contributor to www.pro14rugby.org Paul Eddison begins a new column aimed at providing a long-form look at rugby in a context that goes beyond wins and losses. With a keen eye on the world of rugby follow Paul on Twitter @pauleddison Every champion insists the challenge of staying on the mountain is harder than climbing it in the first place. We sit back in admiration as the coach talks of getting back to work mere hours after lifting a trophy, telling ourselves this is why Joe Schmidt/Warren Gatland/Bill Belichick (delete as appropriate) is so successful. However, as many times as that platitude is repeated, there is no question that the more demanding task is going from rock bottom to challenging for titles. In American sport we regularly hear about the ‘Rebuild’ – taking a hapless team and turning them into a contender, sometimes in the space of a single season.
