Fylde RFC players past and present guide Lancashire to county glory
Former Fylde RFC fly-half Chris Johnson knows what it feels like to win at Allianz Stadium as a player – but he admits that triumphing at Twickenham as a coach is rather more stressful.
Johnson coached Lancashire in last weekend’s Jason Leonard Under-20s Cup final against Devon, and after a tight first half, saw his players pull clear to win 36-22 in glorious sunshine.
Having been part of a Red Rose side that won the Bill Beaumont Cup five times at this ground, victory showed Johnson that his initial impressions of his squad were correct.
He said: “I’m a bit emotionally exhausted and it is red hot out there.
“When we first initially got with the group, I said ‘you are a really good team.’
“If they committed to it and trained, and we were in a position where we had everyone, I said they could go and win this thing. To get there in the end was fantastic.
“I’ve been lucky to do it (play at Twickenham) in playing terms and it’s just the best feeling; the day, the travel, walking out onto the pitch, you get this unbelievable feeling.
“We’ve done a lot in trying to make sure they soak it all in, they will remember this for a long, long time.
“It’s terrible. I can control the game when I’m a player. Here it was lots of shouting and trying to get messages on, so it’s stressful!”
The Lancashire squad contained two Fylde Hawks players, who have made important contributions; fly-half Dan Slawson and flanker Max Senior.
A couple of the standout performers last Saturday have also been recruited to Fylde’s first XV squad for next season; skipper and lock forward Will Greenwood and livewire scrum-half Gabe Maguire.
Wingers Tom Hesketh and Vinny Durcan crossed in the first half as Lancashire led 15-10 at the break, before a wonderful try from Louis Callow immediately after half-time gave them some breathing space.
Devon hit back with a try from a rolling maul but a score from close range by replacement prop Harry Coxhill ensured Lancashire were comfortably clear.
Their victory was confirmed late on when Ollie Mills powered over, sparking joyous celebrations on the touchline.
Johnson added: “At each of the water breaks, we were trying to get messages on to give the lads some clarity.
“We wanted to get everyone on; you don’t want to leave anyone off.
“We said to them that if we could score straight after half-time, it will take the game a little bit.
“This is what they have done for us. In all the games when we’ve asked them to do something, they have gone out and done it.”
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