As Yorkshire prepare to face Kent at Twickenham in the final of the Bill Beaumont County Championship, forwards coach Pete Taylor hopes he and the rest of the coaching staff create the right environment for the final. This will be the third game of this series and so far the coaches have got the mix right for the victory at Somerset and the 26-13 win over Lancashire at Brantingham Park. Taylor wants to make Saturday’s game an occasion, while also keeping players emotions in check.
“Preparing the players for the final comes down to coaching, which isn’t just about what you know about rugby,” Taylor said.
“Coaching is what you know about people and how you create an environment that everyone can thrive in.
“The environment we created ahead of the Somerset game was different, because we had to win that game.
“We had to create an environment that put the players on edge.
“The environment for the Lancashire game was different because it was Lancashire.
“We as coaches had to identify what each of our roles would be and it will be the same next weekend.
“The 24 players heading to Twickenham will need different things, some lads will take it all in their stride, others might be nervous.
“Some will have been more nervous for the Lancashire game than the final.
“As coaches, you have to build an environment that suits everybody.
“It’s about not getting too excited, but don’t underestimate this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the lads.
“We’ve got to make it an occasion, and you could say that about someone who has played for England over 100 times.
“You don’t want to lose any games, but the way I look at it, and it was the same with Lancashire, from a coaching perspective, if everyone does everything they can possibly so, and they prepare as well as they can, the rest will fall into place.
“If the result doesn’t go our way, I for one would not doubt anything we have done, any players that we selected.
“Every one of those players deserves to be in this squad.”
Taylor is no stranger to representing his county in this competition. In 1994, he was part of the white rose county’s success when they defeated Durham 26-3 at the home of rugby. He hopes to end Yorkshire’s 16-year wait for their 16th title with what he describes as a settled squad of players. And Saturday’s trip to Twickenham is a reward for the unsung heroes behind the scenes working hard for the team to get everything ready for days like Saturday.
“Saturday’s trip to Twickenham is so exciting,” Taylor said.
“If not more because as a player, I was a lot younger, and you approach things differently and you’ve worked so hard to achieve something.
“I never lost at Twickenham playing for Yorkshire and my record playing for the RAF and Combined Services was about 50/50 there.
“I think I’ve played there 15 times and we won it with Yorkshire in 1994 and again in 2000.
“It’s 30 years since I played in the final in 1994 and we beat Durham.
“I wasn’t there in 2008 when Yorkshire last won it and Dan Cook was the skipper.
“The pressure is on this team because when Yorkshire get to a final, they tend to win it.
“Kent will be a good outfit and they beat Lancashire last year. Their players are predominantly from Black Heath.
“There’s a lot to do off the grass, there’s a hell of a lot of work that Benji (Pickens) has to do in terms of logistics and sponsorship because it’s not cheap.
“On the grass, we’re very fortunate that we have a settled squad of players.
“We need to keep doing what we’ve been doing, because we’ve clearly done something right.
“There are people like Benji and Rachel Galley and Jill Alexandar who have been involved with Yorkshire for a long time and have never had any reward for what they do. They’ve never got to Twickenham.”
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