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Raise Your Game: How hard is it to be a coach?

Dai Young: It's very difficult to be a coach, but it's a job I thoroughly enjoy.

RYG: Do you rule by the carrot or the stick?

DY: I think you've got to be prepared to use both. I think the players need to realise there are rewards to be had, but in order to get them sometimes you may have to use a little bit of the stick. I don't rant and rave because I don't think that gets you anywhere. I like to think you can have the skills to put your point across without ranting and raving.

You've got to earn respect amongst your players. You can't be their mate, because you've got a job to do. You've also got to help them become better players. We're there to help them, not to hinder them.

RYG: How difficult is it to manage different characters and keep them all together as a team?

DY: You don't get taught how to make the transition from rugby player to rugby coach, but it's something you've got to learn very quickly. Coaching the team is probably the easiest part. Man management of players is probably the most difficult part of the job.

You need to know how to handle players. I try to treat them as I'd like to be treated myself. Be honest and straight with them, but be supportive when you need to be. People forget that we all have problems outside the rugby environment. It's very difficult and you take them to work whether you're a rugby person or not. Sometimes you need to put your arm around someone and support them but sometimes you need to use the stick as well.

RYG: Who do you try to emulate as a coach?

DY: I don't think any coach is the finished article. I certainly haven't got all the answers. I think every coach that you play under has got certain qualities that you try to emulate. I think that being yourself is important. Try to bring your own character to the job, but you can't be arrogant enough to think that you've got all the answers and you're doing everything right. I think you've got to be very respectful of that.

RYG: Thinking back to your own playing days, are there any things that you try not to do as a coach?

DY: Sometimes I push the players harder because I don't want them to make the mistakes I made. Although I was quite lucky to achieve honours and so on, I still feel I could have been a better player. If somebody had pushed me a little bit harder, perhaps I could have achieved a little bit more. That's something I try to take into my coaching.

No matter how good the player is, I try and squeeze that little bit more out of them. Once you've stopped playing you don't want to look back and think 'I could have done that a bit better, I could have got onto that tour, I could have been in that test team.' I try to push the players to achieve things they can be extremely proud of when they finish.

RYG: What skills do the players learn from rugby?

DY: We have a strict code of conduct. It's about putting the team ahead of yourself. That makes us better people. We're in privileged positions because, in Wales, most of the players are heroes, and we try to make sure that they behave like the man next door.

RYG: Is it important to keep the players grounded?

DY: Yes. When we decorated our training ground we had the players painting the walls. We don't have cleaners here, although you can probably tell that (laughs). If a player uses dishes, they wash them up after. We don't want to pamper them too much. We want them to have the best preparation and to be looked after, but no-one is here to wait on them. I think it keeps everyone's feet on the ground.

RYG: Does having experience of both codes of rugby help you with your coaching job?

DY: Rugby league was a much harsher environment. Rugby Union is run by rugby people, who have a much better feel for rugby. Rugby league is run by business people and players are treated like pieces of meat. I want the players to understand that they've got to work to stay in this environment. They've got to work to achieve, and if they don't there are other people that will, but loyalty is important as well. When people get injured you look after them.

RYG: How do you deal with criticism?

DY: Anyone that says criticism doesn't hurt is a liar. Nobody likes being criticised. Once I've ripped the paper up and put my foot through the TV I try to think 'Have they got a point?' I try to use it to improve in certain areas. If someone says 'They could be doing this or that better,' we'll analyse it and see if they've got a point. I don't welcome criticism but I understand that it's part of the job. It's something you can use to make yourself and the team better.

RYG: How do you deal with praise?

DY: I'm sceptical about praise. As well as we've done this season, we're only ever one game away from coming undone. As a coach, whether you're doing well or you're doing poorly, you need to realise that your body language affects everyone else in the squad. They don't want to see you panicking and they don't want to see you hurt when you get criticised. They expect you to rise above it.

RYG: Who do you listen to?

DY: I think it's important to listen to as many people as you can because everyone has got something to offer. Sometimes somebody gives you advice that's not 100% correct. You may not agree with it all, but there might be something in there that you can learn from.

As a coaching team we challenge each other and put our views across. There are also people that I respect within the coaching field. If I had problems, I'd sit down and talk to them about it.

RYG: Do you find that everyone's an expert when it comes to rugby?

DY: I think we've got about 20 million selectors, and everyone would pick a different team (laughs).

RYG: What does rugby mean to you?

DY: It isn't true to say it's a job - it's more of a lifestyle. Ever since I was a kid, rugby has been my life. It's the only thing I ever really wanted to do - to be a rugby player. That was back in the days when the game was amateur. I always wanted to play rugby and follow in the footsteps of my father and uncle, Family is important, but all my boys are rugby players, so it's certainly a way of life.

RYG: What has sport given you?

DY: Everything. It's given me a house, a car and really good memories. It's given me a really good living and huge enjoyment. I've made my living out of rugby, but outside of that it's been a big part of my life. If I read, it's a sports book. I'm very, very thankful that I've made a career out of something that I really enjoy.

RYG: What do you most want from your players?

DY: Just total commitment. Go out there and give it your best. If we play against a better team, or if the team plays better than us, the guys certainly wont have me in their face. The only thing I demand from the players is total commitment. Go out there and give everything. We can work on mistakes, but as long as they go out there and give me 150%, they've got me on their side.