THE saying that winning is everything is certainly not true if you're not scoring tries in the process. Penalty goals just don't get anyone excited unless it's in the final minute and the result hinges on it going over.

In practical terms entertaining might not even be connected to the outcome of the game, although many would use the words "winning" and "entertaining" in the same sentence.

This does not mean that they need to be connected. A performance for fans that is lost at the death but was made up of heart and soul, desperation and endeavour - along with good food, ambience - might be enough to engender contentment and the feeling of being entertained. From a rugby coaching perspective the concept of entertainment has a slightly different slant. I am constantly reminded about the need to entertain and it is a concept I am comfortable with. I am also constantly reminded about the need to win and this is also a dynamic that I understand. They are not, however, one and the same.

As a coach you can follow a dream, coach a philosophy, live in the moment, have a three-year plan, recognise your strengths and weaknesses and play accordingly. There are a host of things you will do that you won't be recognised for and some fluky things that's you'll receive uncomfortable accolades for, so where is the break-even point?

It is reasonable to assume that when you come to a game of professional rugby that there will be a display of basic skill execution that you won't find in the park. The crowd is entitled to expect the ball to be passed accurately and often. The miracle pass or offload is the icing on the cake.

Forcing these opportunities is not congruent to entertaining or winning. Players need to practise the basics and calculate the degree of difficulty and decide whether they are up to it. If you add to the fundamental skill execution, ethic, aggression and endeavour then the crowd is starting to feel it's getting value for money. I am not convinced - and am happy to have the debate - that the concept of always throwing the ball to the wing equates to winning or entertainment. While it may be a demonstration of passing skill it will not always test the opposition defence as it might in the days gone by.

I am often questioned about our style of play. My answer is to pitch the game for all occasions. While there are opportunities to play the game in "ideal" circumstances there are things such as the weather and our opponents' strategies that will get in the way.

We have already trained and played in the wet on many occasions this season and tonight maybe no different. Tactics need to match. The smartest way to play is to be one step ahead. Having the resources and the diversity of skills allows this to happen. Changing your game is hard if it is not practised and the mindset is fixed. At the Waratahs we have been preparing on both fronts so the possibility of winning and entertaining is equal.

It's a slippery slope towards the Super 14 summit. Each week we take a couple of steps towards our goal and sometimes, like last week, we stumble. But it's not fatal slip. We have confidence in the plan and that the net result will see us winning more than we lose.

So what is our style? Well, as my assistant coach, Todd Louden, always says: winning rugby - and that's entertaining to me.