VISIT OF SIR ALEX FERGUSON
“It came about through connections with co-owner Ged Mason, who are good friends and have shared investment with race horse, and then connections through being a proud Northerner. He has had some influence on winning cups. We thought we would wring a bit of gold out of him and he didn’t disappoint. He had the lads on their edge of their seats and he came up with some real good bits of advice, not new stuff but when it comes out of his mouth it is gospel.
“If we are relying upon Sir Alex Ferguson on a Tuesday morning to win us this cup there is something wrong. It is small percentages of what he can add, an increased feeling and hype around how special this week is. It was good to him in and in our corner.
“I listened intently. A lot of what you have to do in coaching is cycling. There are staples in all businesses which re-occur particularly at this point in the season with championship-winning teams. So what Sir Alex was saying re-affirmed what I have learnt and forgotten which you do over the years. It re-affirmed some of the messages we have been putting to the players. Also direction for me to try and guide and steer towards the end of the week which I do.”
BALANCING EMOTIONS THIS WEEK
“We have had Sir Alex and Wayne Hoyle in this week as we start to touch on our mentality, taking other legends’ point of view and instruction. Then we will look at how we want to use that advice for ourselves. We go fat to thin from Monday to the weekend. We will start to thin slice what our mentality is going to be towards the end of the week. On Friday we have a pitch walk at Twickenham so we will de-humanise the stadium when we get down there."
MOOD AND FEELING IN CAMP THIS WEEK
"I don’t sense any apprehension but you can’t re-create it so you don’t know. We have been trying to as we have made the pitch bigger so it fits Twickenham’s size and we have had crowd noise blaring out to create that noise level. We will control what we can to make it feel as real as possible but there is nothing like the pressure of the occasion that brings the real bones out of a player. So we are yet to see whether we have strong bones.”
ANY FERGUSON ‘MIND GAMES’ THIS WEEK?
“No games, just the one being played out on the pitch. What we have been working on is resilience, consistency and concentration. Also being in the moment. I know it’s cliché but it is going to be the odd moment where one team might switch off and that will open up the opportunity which I believe will win or lose us the game.”
REASONS FOR STANDING ON THE TOUCHLINE RATHER THAN IN THE STANDS
“There are a few reasons for it. It’s not showmanship , it’s nothing to do with that. There is and always has been a group of coaches in a glass box somewhere with a computer in front of them. With a computer in front of me and the DOR behind me when I was at Saracens under Mark McCall I felt was a distraction. Anyone can analyse when you watch enough footage but the best can thin slice and diagnose quickly. Players like George Ford can do it. If you ask him at half-time about what the fixes and focus points are he has nailed it. I get a better feel of what is going on on the field being closer to it with fewer distractions. That’s one reason. The other is I can give the players a hug or handshake depending on their disposition when they come off the field because I think that is important how ever they have played. No-one goes out there to have a shocker so I thank them for their efforts and contribution. Now and again I get to have a little word with the player going on.”
INFLUENCE OF BEN CURRY EVEN THOUGH HE IS INJURED
“That was a conversation we had last week. I asked him how he was feeling and what he wanted. I told him I still wanted his leadership. We saw the influence George Ford had when he was injured and thus not playing, just by the small conversations you can have around the place. His tutelage maybe to someone who is coming onto the bench or starting. He has very much been involved. He has received good luck messages from some Manchester United players. He has still been upbeat despite the fact that he might miss the World Cup and definitely the final this weekend. He has been super positive which is testament to his purpose. He is still over the moon that we have got to this position so he is doing everything in his power for us to make the most of it.”
SEAMLESS TRANSITION OF DEFENCE COACHES MID-SEASON
“I am happy as ultimately it rested on my shoulders. If it didn’t work I would only have myself to blame. I will say it now as I did then I had full faith in Jamie Langley who is a really good coach and communicator, who has the respect of the players. You can learn the technical side but it’s your ability to inspire and engage which is a true skill especially in defence and he has shown a mastery of those two skills.
INJURY UPDATE
Ben Curry- went under the knife on Tuesday (May 23rd), got twisted during jackal in semi-final, 3 muscles in the hamstring, torn one completely, another one basically torn, both of those muscles operated on, should be back fit for the start of the World Cup, Sale’s medical staff liaising with England on a daily basis
Dan du Preez- re-occurrence of the same injury, knew it was a dice roll and it could happen and it did, he said he could he play this weekend with a dislocated shoulder which shows how much he was willing to put on the line, he was willing to put his body on the line to play
Other than Ben, Dan and Cobus Wiese, fully fit squad to choose from
OTHER NEWS
Search for a new hooker is ongoing, a couple of Zoom chats have happened, we have three good hookers already with Akker, Tommy and Ethan Caine, not going to get held for ransom, if we can we will, earlier rather than later, Luke Cowan-Dickie still on the radar, no progression since a couple of weeks ago, who wouldn’t want to have him if you have the money and space to bring him in
Happy for his former employers and friends at Saracens, still has a deep affection for them, relationships with people at Saracens stirs him to want to win, people you love are the ones you want to beat
At an event for Jackson Wray with Mark McCall and Steve Borthwick last week, thought it would be more awkward than it was, McCall gave him a hug and said well done, that’s the type of relationship they have, will have a beer after the final, says something about rugby nowadays that this can happen when two DOR’s going against each other in a final can have this type of relationship, old-school approach of staying just within your organisation fading out of the game
George Ford and Owen Farrell very similar in terms of their attributes- decision making second to none, standards higher than everyone else, drive people to meet those standards, different in some ways- Owen highly emotional and aggressive when he needs to be, George has a softer tone about him, persuasive manner through conversation that inspires people in slightly different way, missing key stone and catalyst for us, has added his calmness in adversity and given a clear direction, calm aura around George which serves us really well
Careful not to throw too many messages at the players in a week like this, spoke to Ged Mason on Sunday about Sir Alex Ferguson coming in this week, Jamie Peacock came in before semi-final and some people at the club know him very well, very grateful for those guests coming in
Spoke about enjoying the ride and not being afraid of the ‘monster wave’ of a final, importance of keeping emotional even keel amidst the noise, chaos and pressure of the final
Resources and belief have been huge over last two and a half years, pushing the players to reach the top and having the resources to get there, our players are as good as there are out there, believes likes of Joe Carpenter and Tom Roebuck pushing for international spots, Scotland have been knocking re Tom and he has also had conversation with Steve Borthwick
Thanks again Kieran. Great work.