We lost the Premiership Final… Dan Cole & Ben Youngs react to their last-ever game 💔

It’s the morning after the night before and a hungover Dan Cole & Ben Youngs are reunited at Welford Road, their home for two decades, to pore over Leicester Tigers’ defeat to Bath Rugby in Saturday’s Premiership Final.

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00:00 A ‘unique’ national anthem
02:48 The yellow card
09:35 Why did Ben kick the ball on 79 minutes?
13:50 Bath were deserved champions
18:42 The impact of Michael Cheika
23:28 Inside the Leicester dressing room
27:54 Reflections on an emotional day
35:19 End of season social
39:22 Coley the Barbarian?
41:04 Thank you
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#Rugby #DanCole #BenYoungs

[Music] well well here we are Ben here we are it’s not even 24 hours no not 24 hours into retirement no and um we should probably address the elephant in the room yeah let’s not hang about go straight to it Coley um you know I think it’s it’s a good time to be getting out the game you know it’s gone mad um for me they really butchered the national anthem mate [Applause] i’m hurting right now because you know I thought how good you get to sing the national anthem at Twickham one last time over electric guitar i’m not I’ve never heard that version before and I don’t know it’s not his fault no no no i I Yeah good for him i like I like I like him playing he’s a really nice guy he seems like a nice guy for me just a somehow the Americanization of sport i don’t think we’ve ever sung the national anthem before have we uh and then secondly it’s like it’s a new thing maybe and secondly it’s like just sing the national anthem the the thing is as well like don’t just make it something it’s fine when you line up you obviously you know both bar and Leicester have got um very different um nationalities in their team yeah so like a lot of them you know through history and stuff don’t necessarily like the anthem any and then you add an electric guitar like you are asking for it i didn’t know when to even start singing and I I was so thrown by cuz I thought he was actually going to play the guitar and sing but cuz I thought he was actually going to sing but no cuz it was just electric guitar so then he played started playing then half the crowd joined and then some people came then he kept like yeah and he kept like and it was playing this and then everyone was out of tune with it so I was laughing cuz the crowd was about 5 seconds in front of the guitar and I was just like “Oh this is no one knows what we’re supposed to do.” Yeah let us know do you know what it reminded me of of World Cup 23 and you had the France New Zealand game open game and you thought “How good right national Stadium France New Zealand.” Like what like the Get the volume on full blast lads this is going to be this is going to be epic this will be one like one you you know you’ll look on YouTube you know for years and go like I’ve got to hear that anthem like the greatest version of it you know ahead of the World Cup and they got ch children to sing it it was horrendous and it felt very similar to that that it just it just didn’t quite land right and it’s not his as I said it’s not his fault but if he walks out there next year with electric guitar I will be amazed that that it’s not his fault whoever whoever thought that idea should have a rethink yeah just you know I get I get making rugby more entertaining and getting people in but like just make it about the game let’s sort of set the scene Coley we are in the Crumby Stand the famous Yeah Crumby Stand it’s a lot quieter today than it has been in recent weeks um I would say we’ve snuck into the stadium illegally but the legend that is EdMo has jumped out of bed driven across Leicester up the M69 up the M69 um and let us in yeah he has and yeah it’s it’s kind of weird sitting here when it’s empty actually you know it’s like you don’t ever do it but um yeah so here we are how how nice it’s not been 24 hours since we played our last game but it’s it’s nice that we can record an episode here in the very famous stand i love this standing as a kid but I do wonder how some people have spent like 40 years sat here without a back rest back support there’s no back support true followers if you can do that i’m going to slouch over um let’s talk about yesterday Coley and let’s let’s let’s go straight into how you feeling because not in terms of the results or anything like that but just you come on you get an amazing reception rightly so and then you’re yellow carded only a few minutes later i thought you know I’ve got such a good reception going on I wanted to have one another one i got greedy then i got so many good receptions coming on to field in recent times i got greedy i wanted one more so I thought you know what I’ll get yellow carded and go off did you come back on at the end of the game no no oh that my career is my career has ended in the sim bin yeah absolutely like can you How do I feel um I feel obviously gutted for the game i feel embarrassed for getting Simbin in such a big game at the end of the game um and I feel responsible and like you you let the team down cuz even at the end of the game where it’s two points in it and you’re like the three points that I gave away from my yellow card is you know cost you the game potentially i mean it doesn’t you know what I mean it it doesn’t but at the same time doesn’t really you kind of tell yourself that but at the same time you do feel responsible for what you did it’s just a bit like and looking back you know what Ben i kind of wish that I’d have thrown an elbow or something and actually with 10 minutes to go right set the scene if I meant to cheap shot him I should cheap shot him get red carded and hopefully get him off field so he can’t kick and bath a man you know what off yeah yeah i mean like I got a yellow card for he like attempting a charge down i didn’t jump out the way i didn’t do anything and I’m just like for me I was it was one of I’m going to moan now one of a few decisions I thought he got wrong right yeah there was there was a few things that were um and ultimately tomorrow no one will care and history no one will care about my rant no so you it’s all loserish yeah yeah yeah yeah but give me 24 hours to be moan but yeah it’s just a bit like um yeah as a so for my emotions like you’re angry you’re upset you’re proud of the team i said after the game like the fact that we did play 60 minutes with 14 BS on the field i mean at 72 minutes I got sent this after the the penalty count is 92 in Bath’s favor so 72 minutes in at 72 minutes 92 so I think two of those came from the scrum so we didn’t get one penalty across the entire game if you watch that game as neutral I’m pretty sure there’s probably somewhere we could have got a penalty so to do that to go 72 minutes with two penalties from a scrum against you that kind of stuff and like to be in the position at the end of the game to almost be playing yeah the possession but like we’ll talk about but like for the boys to so proud of the group today from last year being eighth this year gets to the premiership final is quite sacked against in some regards and to play and have it on the line you know what I Because at some point in that game we were even when BAF had their try disallowed that was going to be 257 or something wasn’t it like it was a big old Yeah well it Yeah it was something like that wasn’t it and then but like the fact that that wasn’t we came back and you know took our chances when we did like you really proud so you got the emotion of anger frustration embarrassment disappointment proud like you just you know what I mean you just rotate through those there’s a whole blend of them and you just rotate through them for the next 24 hours and probably probably always one of those ones where it’s just like you look back and you’re just like it’s you know what like when the incident happened Coley like first of all you’re still fast mate you’re the guy leading the kick sprint and your vertical jump is incredible i know I got at least 6 in off the floor it’s amazing um but all jokes aside I think it’s one of those like you’re in a final you’re competing for everything you’re putting kick pressure on you’re trying to you’re trying to either charge him down or best or or or worst case scenario is you’re putting him under that much pressure that the kick doesn’t go where he wants it to do you’re taking time away for him to to execute a kick and yeah like you know you jump you try and put pressure on you got to land what comes up must come down and yeah I was surprised i was surprised mate and you know what okay give a pen right but to yellow I I was honestly I was that was a instant where I was like a yellow for me was that seemed incredibly harsh um to yellow for that you know um incredibly harsh and then and then obviously that yeah like you say Colin then that was that was that was your job done you know was you didn’t get another shot of coming back on no but sad mate well it’s rugby isn’t it it is it is what it is doesn’t mean I’m not going to moan about it the rest of my life but um you know that’s the way uh Coley we’ve uh we’ve had hundreds of kind messages and I want to read one out coley it won’t make the final any easier to take but please hold your head up high after the final nobody thinks you of you any differently than a legend of the game regardless of the results Tigers fans were there to celebrate the end of an illustrious career and win or lose the final was about the players you sir are the definition of a Leicester Tiger and a true professional you’ve been everything a fan could ask of you and you should hold your head up high please celebrate the day and yourself today just wasn’t our day thank you it’s a very kind message yeah it’s very nice yeah I say one thing I would say is one of the great things about the game right the reception we got coming on the field say it again like from everyone I think people saying bath fans fans like neutral it was like that’s what you kind of love about the game isn’t it like not so much the reception for us yes obviously like that but like the fact that rugby fans can come like just you know what I mean those moments where everyone in the stadium’s just that’s what makes rugby different I think from other sports so um yeah so um yeah no that was a nice message and um yeah I’ll go celebrate myself by having 72 points in about 3 hours time got a question from Tom i’ve just been arguing with my mate Rich about Ben box king with a minute to go please can you tell him there was no chance of Tigers scoring from 80 meters out and our best opportunity was to force a scrum higher at the pitch on the flip side Rich would like to know if you’ll wake up on Sunday in a pool of regret will you even sleep at all thanks for the question Tom yeah like in an ideal situation you got numbers on your feet you’ve got perfect shape and you move the ball and you build pressure through phase you know and you force them to um eek a penalty or you know you got to go you still got to get in a kickable position in terms of trying to win a pen eek a pen out of them you know with the three points and you got Polard on there to to kick it so you know you’re going to have to go what minimum six seven phases try and work your way up the field and and that’s with them sort of falling off some tackles and getting some edge meters and everything like that but how it unfolded was we scored a try we received the kickoff the plan was to kick the ball off our line had been been pretty good in terms of putting theirs under pressure so that that was the that was the strategy kick it off and then try and pressure their set piece which so we kick it off go to set piece they maul and then they sort of break out for that mole and Mecca gets a brilliant turnover then from that turnover that was the key really to shift that straight away and go but the the the breakdown was an absolute mess i get caught up in the breakdown then James Cron has to go nine anyway that that sort of opportunity is gone by the time we then sort of recycle um we got no shape on the open to go to everyone’s a bit everywhere so our best bet at that stage is you go to an aerial contest and what you’re trying to do is a bit like Will Muer did very well for them yesterday really effective is you go up and you try and create a contest that you slap the ball and you you create an unstructured opportunity for yourself or worst case is they catch it and they have to go a number of phases in their half which is phases which are from kickable opportunities from you and you got guys like Amecha going for the ball you got Handra trying to jackle you got Mononttoya trying to jackle you got all these guys trying to jackle and that was that was the strat so um yeah I didn’t just hoof it away going there you go um there is you know everything’s thought out and planned and an ideal situation is you build phases and you and you put them under pressure but if you got nothing to go to which we didn’t it’s about how do you force them into because actually um we went hard at those breakdowns and we couldn’t quite get a jackal or or counteruck but that that was ultimately that was the team plan to try and do that say you know you are part of a team decision to go do that but again I would say this as well is depending on because of the score because it’s a one score game so it’s two points a penalty wins it so penalty if you’re down by say six you need a try probably run cuz you know like you’re running it regardless if you got no shape there you’re holding on to whereas like in that part of the field cuz it’s sort of you’re you’re in your own half if you run it there and the game you’re behind I honestly I think Bath probably go at the breakdown because if they’re inside their own half then they go a penalty potentially lose the game but in the opposition half you say if Paul’s not going to kick it from 80 m so they go hard at the breakdown the referee is probably actually thinking it’s an easy penalty to give to end the game because no one’s it’s not controversial anyway and I’m not to blame I’m not blame the referee or anything like that but you know what I mean that mindset happens we’ve seen it happen it’s like a penalty 80 me away from the guy the game’s over it it just it ends the game and also what I will say is it’s easy to go at the end of the game oh I should have ran it but there’s probably minute one you could have ran it minute two you could have ran it minute 10 you could have ran it and people will forget like the um because of recency bias missed opportunities you know I mean it’s like my yellow card people go “Oh I lost in the game.” But then what about the penalty at halfime at the break leader what about the penalty what about the intercept what about this you know there’s so many other variables that it it’s not just that moment in the game it’s everything else that leads to it so it’s one of those isn’t it they’re just they’re more heightened like you say Coley because they’re the back end of the game right at the end and people think well why you know you’re trying to win it why would you do that it’s like yeah we we are absolutely trying to win it and at that stage that is the best option given the scenario like I say the ideal scenario was to shift it straight away but that breakdown was an absolute mess and um yeah as soon as we missed that opportunity to go straight away the whole picture then changed today yeah but like in terms of regret no like you know got no regrets like the boys gave it everything and like first of all we need to credit B actually so Bath beaten us three times this season they have you know been top of the league pretty much the entire season been very very good and yeah um I’ll be the first to say or we will be the first to say uh congratulations to them fully deserved and they have been the best team in the league um and so the way they play like they stifled us for long periods of the game they know what they’re doing with the kicking game how they exit out their half Mure into the ball high ball that kind of stuff and they know how to build pressure and like as you say they’re so clinical in what they do with Spencer and Russell just banging your back into Glamville banging it long pressure there was long periods where I think we got we scored in that first five minutes of them all and I don’t think we got into the baths 22 for the next half that’s just because of their ability to control a game and what they’re doing so credit to them i say they’re they’re a fantastic team and um you know they are a they’re tough to beat a they’re tough to score on which is a part of the thing and they’ve got some finishes and stuff like that which makes them the team now they’re worthy champions what what they were very effective at yesterday and you know if you actually look you know from what I remember and I I will watch it back at some stage is you know they were very efficient at coming out of the half and you know Bath for all the tries they’ve scored and I think they I think I’m right in saying they’re top top top try scorers in terms of the whole league and amount they’ve scored this year but what they are is they’re very effective coming out of their half and yesterday you know they absolutely dominated the territory battle against us so Spenny was doing these short box kicks on the money and Mure getting up and slapping it down just trying to create unstructured but when we exit we almost we c we kick short as well but we could never almost get beyond the halfway line before it then comes back on us and if anything we did slightly longer than that like they would happy just smash it long and try and try and eat up the kick meters so for such a long period you know they dominated the territory and and they kind of they they they camp within the sort of the halfway line to your 22 they spend a huge amount of time in that area and and then you you know then you’re under the kosh you know penalties of course and and actually you can’t really escape the pressure if you’re not getting pens uh at the breakdown things like that you can’t actually ever win that territory battle and they’re very very effective that and yeah they um they did that remarkably well yesterday yeah well the way to get out of that is almost to say you need set piece like scrum dominance and you know because if there was a knock on whatever is you end up winning the scrum penalties and I think there were times yesterday when we had scrum dominance but again you need that throughout the whole game and you know it wasn’t rewarded or whatever it was so therefore that’s another area where they can just build pressure and build pressure it’s um yeah they’re incredibly effective what they’re doing as you say it’s a lot of bath iss um yeah people see them score 200 tries something this year but a lot of that is the fact that they’re just relentless in regards to if they get out their half they stay out their half and they just camp in your half and fortune into errors and when they get the ball they’ve got playmakers to make something happen which is you know that’s why they’re so good at that’s why they’ve won the league been top of the league all year and um you know won two of the trophies yeah been highly effective so um deserved champions so congratul i think from a from our point of view it is one of those games where you think um you do come off like all finals you you always the ones you lose you think oh what if and could have done this could have done that but in the overview in the overriding emotion um when it’s all said and done you know Bath have have been extremely good consistently when you look at the league itself Bath have been the most consistent team without doubt where you look at everyone else we’ve been has been battling out for the top from two good old days when the league was the main hitting like Bath have been top in the top by load so you’re like credit you know what I mean like like so I say and you know you go to the finals yes it’s a game and all that kind of stuff but like you baff the champions like what can you say this episode for the love of rugby is brought to you in partnership with SY a those were the ads um you fancy another whiskey yet or not no I think I’ve had my full of whiskey for a few hours um I need something slightly I say smoother to ease me into today’s drinking i did we had a whiskey last night we checked didn’t we yeah and a few of the other lads there was a good few of us having a drink and um Yeah immediate heartburn so if if you want to get a whiskey if we could get a Renie sponsor that would be great um it’s when you pick up a glass of whiskey and it just it’s the flames hit you you can’t not have one with the boss it’s like crack over the whiskey we all have one it’s like yeah yeah yeah great like you feel like your throat burning from like 10 inches away it’s awesome when you wake up when I woke up this morning I was I was I’m I mean I’m hanging i mean I was drunk this morning i’m now in that hangover slashphase um ready to go again but um right whiskey throat anyway we should say Czech Michael Czecher like Yeah let’s talk about Czech his last game at Leicester um I think for this year he’s been the perfect man in regards to just he can motivate a team you know gets the emotion right he he feels the team in that you know what I mean like I think it’s a good balance of the emotion and where the team’s at and he’s been what we need and obviously has some hidings this year but he’s always he wants to win and I think you know for this year I’m gutted that we couldn’t win for him um I think he’s gutted as well so even after the change afterwards he was he was upset emotions that he hadn’t prepared us well enough for the game and say it was um that was tough because say he had but like he’s um I say for this year I think he’s been brilliant having played against his like Australia teams and stuff and been on the you know receiving end of his um how should we put it like when you come off the field and you hear he’s like his presence there he’s a big bloke and he like you’re like but having won your team I think once you’re on his team he’s a different bloke and yeah he’s great I feel really lucky that I got to experience Michael check as you say we we’ve known him from playing against him and his presence and all that but actually to get to know him and and see him who he is and he’s a really caring bloke like he genuinely cares for for players and people and wants to help in any way and uh no he’s been so refreshing and his his mindset and mentality almost is a perfect mold for Leicester like he was the perfect fit and uh no he’s done he’s done wonders in one season yes he’s definitely like working under him with him this year like there’s sort of two two sides to check i think he’s an ultimate competitor probably more than any other coach and he wants to win every everything like every collision every kick chase every kick every collision he’s wants to win it and it’s almost like he’s so set on just winning everything and it builds up to a bigger picture you know what I mean and there’s almost like no and a lot of it is just literally you’ll hit him there’s no technique to it in some regards it’s like you hit him harder than you want it more basically that’s check way of doing it and and say this year has been definitely um perfect in that regards i think like is a great way there’s two sides to him and there’s a sort of hard like we we beat teams up you know when we’re physical we do this and then like there’s other side to them we should say a bit more caring and like you seem talk to the young guys and just backs them full of confidence and belief and just you know backs them backs them backs and I think like you’ve seen some real um younger guys step up this year and I think a lot of that is Czech just backing them to the hill you know what I mean i think that’s what he’s believe i think he’s I wouldn’t say you know technical tactical he’s the best coach I’ve ever worked under in regards to like your game plan to win or this that and the other but just instilling belief in a team and your teammates and you go out on the field knowing you’re going to win like this week’s been the training we’ve had is probably the most different week a finals week I’ve had in my career in fact it was quite laidback it was sort of like but you get to the end of the we get to those Wednesday Friday Saturday like he is pumping the tires and he’s pushing you his will to win is infectious in the team i say that’s probably not the you know I’m not saying we had a the game plan but his game plan is literally you fight for everything and you’ll be good yeah absolutely mate and uh no he’s been brilliant he has been and you’ve you’ve summed it up perfectly there so uh yeah I think he’ll Czech will forever be appreciated around here for what he what he did you know and and also like you know the family’s back in Oz he spent the entire year over here and you know not everyone knows that you know like that he’s he was so committed for this season of trying to get the job done and you know yesterday after the game he was emotional because I think he felt that he felt he he felt like he just didn’t quite Yeah but it m we we were Yeah if butts and maybe um let’s talk about the the the day as a whole yesterday mate um and the experience and what it was like and you know knowing that it was our last game you know it’s been weird sort of leading up to this one because last week we weren’t sure whether that was going to be the last one but this one we knew um but from the moment we arrived at Twickenham and arrived on time arrived on arrived on time no lift problems no traffic problems and we got off um right the entrance actually so we had a long walk and that was really good actually there were loads of bar fans um in fact they seem like there was no end fans yesterday there was a lot but like what I will say is on the way in like I saw a Newcastle Falcon shirt I saw Northampton shirt I saw Glouester fans there was Bristol fans there was Baff Leester there was extra fans like that’s what I love about the Premiership final it’s like it’s almost like Yeah it’s a great day it’s a just as a rugby fan you go there and it’s Yes there’s obviously fans and B fans there but I think like it’s great seeing just fans from other teams going you know what I’m going to buy a ticket my team makes it great if they don’t I’m I’m going to the Prem final that’s the um that’s one of the great things so you we walked in turned up on time um walked in I say the place was almost packed on that walk through it was like an international game in that regard um I say went in obviously but I think once you’re there is into business mode wasn’t it really yeah you’re so I I felt Yeah i just even yesterday morning I felt pretty focused from the start from the moment i will say it was quite weird is like it was I was thinking about this cuz we were having I was getting my ankle strapped at the hotel beforehand and on the beds getting your ankle strapped there’s a bit of music playing the lights just like headphones on rolling around and you’re like it was a bit not surreal but I’m just sat there thinking like imagine if a camera crew was in here now like this is how a team prepares for a grand final you know what I mean like you this is a documentary of all these teams like doing like getting psyched up and stuff and there’s just like not say loose but just relax but people knowing what they’re going to do so it was it was focused but yeah I did think at that point I was getting my ankle strapped I was This is this is the bits I missed i was thinking as well about the apprehension of the game i’m like because sometimes it’s like you just want the final you want to get to the final bit like last week when I get to the game want to get to the game want to get to the result get the result but I’m actually like I think the bits I’ll miss is probably actually to get to the final you have to do the leadup you have to go through the nerves you have to go through the pregame buildup you have to go through pre-match you have to go through walkthroughs that’s probably the bit I’ll I’ll miss is actually doing the not say the hard part but you know everyone wants the games and the success but it’s actually the bits that come before that where you almost want to rush through it because you just want to get to the game but actually that’s the bit I think I was thinking yesterday I’m like that’s the sort of privilege part in some regards getting to do is just you know what I mean like the bits that lead into the game is as much as the game itself yeah and that like personal prep it’s it’s unique isn’t it because I I pre-match meal and I’m someone that loves being around people as you know Coley and yesterday for whatever reason I got my food and I sat on a table all the way the other side of the room on my own I didn’t want to speak to anyone and I’m not never really been like that ever but I just I just didn’t want to I was just just wanted not like it wasn’t even reflection I just want I just needed time on my own because I was zoning in you know and you got all these different personalities you know like I roommed with Polly obviously on Friday night you room with Julian Mononttoya on Friday night you know Pauliey’s an early early riser 6:00 he’s out of bed mate and was was your bedroom we had a double and a single yeah double and single so Polly when I walked in Polly had gone for the single bed yeah what a man what a guy um and I said “Polly that’s ridiculous mate you’re starting and you’re going to win us the game.” Didn’t plan out but ppped him up you know gave him a bit of a pep talk said “You need the double bed mate i will be fine in the single bed you’ve got big responsibility tomorrow that’s um me and Monto got in the room first so I took the single bed because I thought he’s starting he’s going to play 70 to 80 minutes of the game like he was I’m fine in single bed but he’s like argue with me he’s like trying to kick me off bed i’m like “No no no no no it’s fine mate you have the double i’ll have a single mate you It’s This is the way it should like you know what I mean?” Anyway so every time I rolled over I was like “Ah my back’s killing me.” In the morning I was like literally got the stiffest man in the world he’s like I’m all right Julian it’s fine but yeah it’s I I think as well I I part of me was happy with a single bed cuz for the rest of my life when I see Mononttoya I’ll be like you can say I’ve got over on him you know what I mean you know my last ever game you didn’t give me the double bed that will that will that will eat him up so much he’ll hate that how much family friends family do you have come to the game i had a good few um I end up actually I had I end up getting a box in the end it was easier getting a box than it was trying to get tickets um so I did that so I had 20 in the box pulled some strings of you being Ben Young’s most captain’s national well nine I think nine of them were kids nieces and nephews and my own children um which is always amusing because they whenever they come on the pitch with me after I do get a lot of looks where people think that I’ve got sort of eight or nine offspring um I’ve got three just for the record um but yeah there was a good few family there mate yesterday and yeah lovely lovely that they god like they’ve been supported my whole career so yeah to have them there one final time was was brilliant you know um did you do a lap i did do a lap and I you know what after the game m I was you know all the you hug your teammates don’t you and that that’s quite hard because I nearly wobbled a few times with with certain individuals um and then I went and saw my family and then is that my I saw my brother actually and I and I gave him a hug mate and I just went that was it waterworks i was I was gone mate and I And I think you know and it was it was such an emotional moment because it what I found really emotional with Tom in that moment at the end because it was like I felt like it was a recognition of what we’ve both done in the game together yeah and it was an end of an era together i know that Tom’s finished but he’s been there every step of the way like you know always been there and and I felt yesterday was like it was it that was it you know it was it for me but it was it for us you know like we we’d done this incredible journey together on a rugby field we’ve had highs we’ve had lows we’ve had some incredibly difficult times along the way and that moment for me was like a reflection and an embrace of like we did good you know yeah like we did good and and and and that’s all she wrote the inks dry and and I I was really overwhelmed that’s was he so an an amazingly emotional moment with Tom and then obviously my wife Charlotte and the kids but um yeah it it kind of really hit me they were happy tears you know like they were happy tears how about you and Cofty mate cuz I saw that video and Crofty does give a good hug to be fair he’s a good hugger it um yeah it was cuz I went across to see my parents and my boys where they were stood so I wanted to sulk to be honest after the game um but you know what I mean see kids there it’s like set a good example all that kind of stuff got them on the pitch let them run around the picture one last time in the final game and enjoy that make hopefully make a memory of the boys for that but yeah I sort of walk around the pitch decided like cuz Baff get baff got the trophy i thought I’d just walk around and say thank you to everyone and um cuz I say it been awesome and just have a moment and I say I got halfway around the pitch into the far corner and then um one of the guys oh Tom Croftton Matt Smith want to get on the pitch can you can you I was like yeah get him on smithy came on the pitch gave me a hug said some kind words to my ear was there like and then his dad Smith who he coached me in the academy and like legend less legend um he gave us a hug as well and that point it hit me i was like started to cry I think basically the emotion of the game just everything and then um I was like oh you know what I mean like try to cover it up because it’s not it wasn’t um didn’t want to make it about myself Ben in all honesty you know what I mean and then Crofty was there so bear man Cofty I think there’s a video of Crofty online I think he’s cry well he’s not cried but I don’t think he knows what to do at that point mate it’s tough isn’t it but again it’s a recognition because it is an end but the thing is I came through with Smithy Cofty they were above me at school I played get Smithy as a school boy like and he’s Lester’s second biggest fan cuz Doss is the third his dad’s the third you know what I mean so it’s um yeah I say that it was that end of the era again with those Crofty and and Smithy Bl um and yeah and then I sort of had to pull it together and continue my walk around with the boys um but yeah it hit me at that point i think that was that bit there was just that like the emotion of having almost let down like a Leicester legend in like you know what I mean and all the people all the players before that Daughter Smith represents that kind of stuff and yeah and just it was over and yeah no it hit me then it’s it is emotional and I think you you can’t you I think probably for the last three four weeks we’ve been holding it in probably and then you get to that stage and it is overwhelming um and I think with that group your Matt Smiths your Tom Crofts my brother you know we all came through together and you look at like your Ollle Chzoms your Freddy Shoes your JVPs that crop it’ll be the same for them at one point you know one goes the next one goes but for us me and you were the last of that that group and yesterday for that crop of players that we had great times with great friends that was it like we were the last to do it and last to go and I think it it was emotional for all of us you know um I mean Smithy I had a hug with Smithy and I didn’t think he was going to let me go actually fair he That’s what set me off he would let me go squeeze me so tight and I was like “Please I at that point I was I’d um I I’ I’d uh Yeah I said mate I’d just been with obviously with Tom and I was I think I can’t don’t want to cry again.” Um but yeah Smithy I didn’t think he was going to let me go at one point he was squeezing tight so you got me that was me and I think that’s the thing isn’t it again it’s it’s an embrace of recognition of of what we’ve all done yeah and what have we’ve all contributed but it’s also like it’s one of those moments like it’s that I’m not going to get too but like you’ve been through so much together as teammates friends like on and off the field that kind of stuff and it’s just it’s one of those you can’t sort of say it to people in day-to-day life but just that embrace you kind of like a lot of there’s a lot of emotion you feel it you know what I mean and that’s um yeah those things say they’re special and I think you know you probably don’t tell our friends enough what they mean to us all that kind of stuff but um they do um so yeah that was that was that got me put it that way yeah it did indeed um also can I um talk about completing the circle a Martin Curry was in the lounge afterwards great yeah what a club legend because he of course was our captain when we came he he said that we were the final two guys that he played with like we’ve now retired so like it was finished completed his circle which was um strange and I saw a guy there Chris Stanley who um he played my first ever game at school with me first game at South Leicester with me his dad coaches there and he was the one that used to give me his extra ticket and we sit up there and watch the game so him being at my final game that was a like a again a nice complete we haven’t seen the bloke in 20 years probably but just seen I was like oh my god I know you are like the complete circle so yeah that was um strange but fitting I thought yeah fitting and strange um yeah no good to see ka 2007 I first played at Kohley and 2025 is my last it’s not a bad not a bad span is it m yeah it’s gone all right on it we should be proud we should be proud [Music] Right Coley that was felt very emotional there so let’s let’s um finish off with some bits starting with what does today look like and what does the next mate we’ve got the summer off we’ve got no preseason some some teams are starting preseason in three weeks time you know the boys now will get five weeks off you know chess’s off to the Lions go on Big Red um guys will go to on England camps and and and various places so but yeah mate we’ve got none of that no what are we going to do well apart from a a we’ve got to lock the stadium up when we finished here yes we have and B we’ve got to get on a train to London and then have to drink about 45 drinks to play catchup for the missed out because our producer didn’t have switch camera on this morning um and then yeah then after that well you also need to get me some clothes on the way cuz over park um yeah apart from that don’t know um we should talk about after the game obviously we spoke at the change room check um little presentation um I’m not going to lie I think I was drunk after about two beers it kind of like just a lot of photos I say a lot of motion kind of stuff it was um yeah it was nice uh but we also um on the way home we had a great bus journey great we had some cracking songs like honestly Jimmy Wickham yeah big shout out to Jim Wickham big shout out to Jimmy Wickham and and Big Red Chz has got some crackers as well but Jimmy Wickham Football adapted for environment and the variation and the way that they have changed these lyrics yeah is nothing short of sensational like sensational um I can’t sing any of these songs because they are extremely disrespectful to um certain individuals certain certain people um but yeah but we actually got to sing quite a lot of songs because we had a uh a break we went to Tottenington services didn’t we and we stopped so everyone could just get off the bus stretch their legs go for a wee um just a quick 10-minute break and then uh the bus wouldn’t wouldn’t drive and it’s like what’s going on here and basically it turns out that the bus was the time limited up the bus was ready to go but someone I don’t want to name any names but someone was buying a triple Whopper burger from Burger King or something it took a couple minutes extra double whopper that they gave me the wrong order by the way all right so by the time they got this person who got back to the bus the doors was closed so to get on the bus they decided to like was it twist the knob of the uh on the main group i was like just grabbing a double Whopper 4 minutes yeah and basically twisted the emergency exit to get the door open at which point it set the alarm off in the driver’s cab and um we spent an hour trying to reset it so we could go anywhere so we just set the services for an hour thanks to you and your And you showed no remorse either i showed no remorse because well it’s a bus like to get in a bus you’ve got to open the door right so I tried to open the door and check is going off like he’s he’s like he’s going crazy the bus driver is getting the bus driver’s getting it and anyway of all the people that fixed it James Cronin um but of all the people you don’t want to fix it is James Cronin um but the crow basically just opened the for the side door from inside and then closed it and it just reset it and then the bus could work so it was a bit like my point of view was surely a bus driver should know that anyway um the poor bus driver might have got it both barrels from check and I was very happily eating my bacon double cheese I think they gave me in the end cuz I got the order wrong uh at the back of the bus and showed no remorse because in fact it gave us an extra hour on the bus to enjoy each other’s company Coley and sing some more songs um it was all good len I thought my last moment might be on a rugby field might be sat in the sim bin but I’ve just had a message inviting me to uh go down to Cape Town and play for the Barbarians versus South Africa hi Dan would you like one more game in Cape Town this obviously if you don’t get cited um Barbarians South Africa uh matches on June the 28th we travel next Saturday one more game one more coley I’m If I can play on the wing I’ll do it that is mate you’re Oh my gosh mate you He’s He like barbar have you got Have you got the text uh let me check maybe you know it’s C maybe I actually have got the text maybe Cole is higher up on the list than you few minutes after no I have hi Ben i hope you’re well mate do you have Dan Cole’s number please cheers Steve brilliant uh no yeah no worries i don’t want I don’t want one more i’m going to message you back you’re talking about Co’s number preseason go to Cape Town Steve do you say is that why you want his number well two for one um cheers mate um you obviously got your number off someone else someone else yeah that is totally been disrespected there should I just say yes then you can turn up instead of me let me I’m here yeah yeah yeah lock it down against the spring box yeah no worries um Oh there we are Coley maybe maybe maybe you’ve got one more kick sprint in you and charge down in you oh what way to go eh and finally I just want to say a massive thank you and I can’t say enough the way that you kind of made me or us feel over the last well throughout our career but certainly the the the last few months um and the receptions and the cheers and everything like that honestly uh words will never do it justice just how much that meant to me as a person and the appreciation you all showed so thank you so much i look forward to coming back here as a as a fan and um what a club i’m very proud of being a part of it and uh thank you very much Coley i couldn’t put it any better than that man [Music]