RELAX, go out and perform to your potential and you will lift the RFU Senior Vase.

That’s the message Selby RUFC coach Richard Nicholson will deliver to his players tomorrow as they bid to make history against Gloucester outfit Drybrook in the final at Twickenham (kick off 1pm).

The Swans will look to follow their Yorkshire Two promotion with a cup-winning performance at the home of rugby and Nicholson believes the pressure matches his side have won every week in the last month, as they have battled to get back into Yorkshire One, will pay dividends on the biggest of stages.

“The players, in the last month, have had a final every single week,” he explained. “If we had slipped up in any of our league games we probably wouldn’t have got promotion and, as a club, the final at Twickenham is a wonderful bonus but the priority has always been getting promoted.

“They have played under that pressure knowing they have to turn up week in and week out and play well.

“So they have had that pressure which will hopefully really put us in good stead. They will feel it again tomorrow but I will be reminding them it’s still 15 guys against 15. It’s still a patch of grass that they are playing on – albeit it’s a totally different surface to what we normally play on.

“It’s only a game of rugby and they just have to do what they have done for the last 16 or 17 weeks.

“They are very grounded as a group. They are getting very excited about it, but that only happened after last Saturday night.”

Nicholson, who expressed his pride at being able to sit in the same coaching seat as England chief Stuart Lancaster, continued: “It’s going to be very difficult for them. They are a very young group and they are going to be very excited and a bit giddy.

“But it is up to the old stagers like me just to keep them calm and just say ‘yes it is a massive opportunity but it is just another game of rugby and just do what you do week in and week out’.

“If they play to their full potential I am very confident they will get the result they want. If it’s not good enough, it’s not good enough but as long as they have done their best and have no regrets then everyone will be happy.”

Nicholson has named his line-up for Twickenham, with Duncan Hardy leading the side.

 

Selby RUFC’s final line-up

15 Dan Porter
Age: 26. Position: Full-back. Height: 6ft 3in. Weight: 15st. Occupation: Graphic
designer.

14 Ben Lunt
Age: 26. Position: Wing. Height: 5ft 7in. Weight: 13st 4lbs. Occupation: IT
co-ordinator.

13 Alex Webster
Age: 21. Position: Centre. Height: 6ft 2in. Weight: 12st 10lbs. Occupation: Car valeter.

12 Sam Weller
Age: 28. Position: Centre. Height: 5ft 8in. Weight: 14st 2lbs. Occupation: Stone mason.

11 Iain Adamson
Age: 23. Position: Wing. Height: 6ft 1in. Weight: 13st 10lbs. Occupation: Management consultant.

10 Josh Cruise
Age: 18. Position: Fly-half. Height: 6ft. Weight: 13st. Occupation: Travel
consultant.

9 Josh Greenfield
Age: 19. Position: Scrum-half. Height: 5ft 8in. Weight: 15st 3lbs. Occupation: Student.

1 Andrew Pocklington
Age: 37. Position: Prop. Height: 5ft 10in. Weight: 17st 7lbs. Occupation: Sales
representative.

2 Tom Coates
Age: 20. Position: Front row. Height: 5ft 8in. Weight: 13st. Occupation: Electrician.

3 Duncan Hardy (captain)
Age: 22. Position: Front row. Height: 6ft. Weight: 16st. Occupation: Personal trainer.

4 Rob Triffitt
Age: 29. Position: Second row. Height: 6ft 4in. Weight: 16st. Occupation: Joiner.

5 Karim Brown
Age: 26. Position: Second row. Height: 6ft 4in. Weight: 15st. Occupation: Fencer.

6 James Blaymire
Age: 22. Position: Flanker. Height: 5ft 11in. Weight: 15st. Occupation: Bricklayer.

7 Jacob Robinson
Age: 19. Position: Flanker. Height: 5ft 8in. Weight: 14st 3lbs. Occupation: Student.

8 Matthew Wood
Age 23. Position: Back row. Height: 6ft 3in. Weight: 15st. Occupation: Farmer.

Replacements

Tom Bell
Age 25. Position: Prop. Height: 5ft 10in. Weight: 17st 2lbs. Occupation: Joiner.

Jack Daniels
Age 23. Position: Scrum-half. Height: 5ft 8in. Weight: 11st 7lbs. Occupation: Parts sales.

Mark Tanner
Age: 24. Position: Front row. Height: 6ft. Weight: 16st. Occupation: Warehouse
operative.

Alex Arthur
Age: 22. Position: Centre/wing. Height: 6ft. Weight: 15st 10lbs. Occupation: Teacher.

Charlie McCoy
Age: 18. Position: Wing. Height: 5ft 11in. Weight: 13st. Occupation: Student.

Brendan Lanaghan
Age: 32. Position: Second row. Height: 6ft 2in. Weight: 16st 8lbs. Occupation: Logistics co-ordinator.

Martin Protheroe
Age: 30. Position: Number eight. Height: 6ft 5in. Weight: 18st 8lbs. Occupation: Stone mason.

Travelling reserve: Oli O’Brien.