It wasn't about the money and it wasn't about No. 600. It was a function of Sammy's expectation of his own performance. He didn't want to go out there and under-perform like he did last year because it was just too painful for him, and it's just something he doesn't want to go through again.
Quotes about under-perform (4 Quotes)
A lot of these guys were chosen because they're not going to panic or under-perform in tough situations because we've seen them a number of times and we know they can help us. I know a lot of people are concerned because some of these guys aren't having great NHL years, but we feel in a tournament like this, we need to have this kind of experience.
Two defeats is enough. In the short term the losses have no direct impact. But you can't under-perform indefinitely and expect loyal supporters to keep buying their shirts and keep paying for tickets at Twickenham. We have to get back to winning ways.
Two is enough. You cannot under-perform continually and expect your loyal supporters to keep buying replica shirts and paying for tickets.