'I don't want this ride to end' - play-off coaches on season finale

English rugby's apical coaches opportunity they are wished to revel successful nan unit of starring their sides into do-or-die Premiership semi-finals this weekend.

"If you can't emotion this, past get different job," says Bath's Johann van Graan, arsenic nan league's runaway leaders hole to big section rivals Bristol connected Friday night.

"If you're not enjoying it, what's nan point?" adds Leicester leader Michael Cheika.

"When nan power is on, that's nan clip to go: 'how good?' You would alternatively beryllium present than not, truthful conscionable get aft it."

After 18 rounds of nan regular campaign, 2 sides will look from this play to scope nan last connected 14 June astatine a sold-out Allianz Stadium successful Twickenham, pinch Leicester hosting Sale nan time aft Friday's westbound state derby.

In a typical Rugby Union Weekly podcast, we were joined exclusively by each 4 of nan men plotting to lead their squad to Premiership glory, conscionable days earlier nan biggest crippled of their season.

"Semi-final is not enough," says Sale's Alex Sanderson, who has guided nan nine to 3 successive semi-finals without landing nan large prize.

"That's nary disrespect to Leicester - I respect a batch of what Michael is doing - and our crippled exemplary is beautiful similar.

"But location are only truthful galore times you tin sound connected nan door, and astatine immoderate constituent you person to effort and footwear it disconnected its hinges. The team, nan group - we conscionable want more.

"Sometimes because of nan magnitude of nan season, you whitethorn beryllium looking guardant to having a mates of weeks connected a beach. This isn't 1 of those times. I don't want this thrust to stop."

Pat Lam of Bristol adds: "I usage that connection 'privilege'. I've sewage 5 children. The oldest is 32, nan youngest is 18. That's nan playing group that I've got.

"I get a existent buzz seeing nan experiences and what they are going through. It takes truthful overmuch and you person to spell retired and gain it.

"When you look astatine nan Champions League final, PSG winning 5-0, that is simply a squad that decided to spell retired and bask themselves.

"Every clip I person these moments I consciousness conscionable privileged to beryllium present and consciousness fortunate to beryllium doing what we do."

Van Graan added: "This crippled is not astir fear. This crippled is astir attacking it - and whitethorn nan champion squad win.

"What would nan world beryllium without sport? I'm privileged to beryllium portion of it and portion of a squad that wants to achieve.

"And if we want to get to nan adjacent stage, we've sewage to get past a very bully squad connected Friday night."

In his first and only play successful nan league, Cheika says he has "enjoyed nan ride" successful nan East Midlands and has been amazed by nan diverseness of playing styles crossed nan Premiership, citing Bristol's free-wheeling approach.

He besides believes nan convention has nan imaginable to rival Australia's National Rugby League (NRL) and go 1 of nan world's starring sporting products, pinch plans afoot to bring successful a franchise exemplary successful a bid to return Premiership rugby to nan adjacent level.

"I deliberation it should beryllium for illustration nan NRL, erstwhile you deliberation astir nan population. The crippled deserves a bigger economy. It needs nan convention to get it bigger, much money successful location truthful location tin beryllium much impact," Cheika said.

"There's a really bully point going connected present that we tin build on, but it needs a cardinal system to create that energy, truthful teams don't spell to nan wall and they're capable to use from a beardown cardinal system pinch much sponsors, much people, much merchandising, a bigger TV deal, each that type of worldly that runs disconnected nan backmost of it.

"As an outsider location is decidedly nan imaginable for nan crippled to beryllium overmuch bigger connected a nationalist scale."

But pinch nan game's position quo nether threat from a breakaway league, Van Graan has highlighted really nan sport's foundations are built connected tradition, and believes nan convention is successful a beardown spot aft a challenging fewer years.

"That acquisition successful Cardiff a fewer weeks ago, erstwhile Bath played Bristol, was amazing. It felt for illustration a Test match," he said.

"There are truthful galore bully things astir nan Premiership. My Dad went to nan 1991 World Cup and he brought maine backmost immoderate writer successful a small bottle, which I still have. Twickenham was ever nan spot and I retrieve our crippled location against Quins 3 years ago, I thought: 'this is amazing'.

"I can't power thing that happens astir franchising, aliases rebel leagues, aliases nan outside. All I tin power is our team, and I'd for illustration to deliberation each 10 Premiership teams person done their spot to make this a spectacle successful each of our different ways.

"We are each different, but location is each respect for each other. I deliberation nan Premiership is successful a bully place."

The semi-finals will pit immoderate of nan world's top fly-halves against each other, pinch Scotland's Finn Russell facing nan USA's AJ MacGinty connected Friday night, earlier 99-cap Englishman George Ford and South Africa's double World Cup victor Handre Pollard do conflict connected Saturday.

"Every rugby subordinate has talent, but you are looking for nan ones who are special, that will conscionable flick a switch," said Lam.

Sanderson added: "I've worked pinch AJ, I've heard what Finn Russell is for illustration and I've seen Handre activity successful South Africa camp. These guys are each but coaches, wearing a rugby shirt.

"And astatine this clip of nan year, they return much and much ownership. Those are nan awesome players. Fordy is 1 of them. He is going to beryllium a awesome coach, but has years near connected nan field."

Cheika agrees. "Ford should beryllium connected nan Lions tour," he said. "That feline is precocious quality. He is simply a coach stepping astir successful a playing jersey."

Meanwhile Van Graan says Russell is much master than ever, contempt much than a decade operating astatine nan highest level.

"I retrieve 1 of my first visits successful nan NFL successful 2011, visiting nan [San Francisco] 49ers and they had this banner connected nan wrong nan training crushed which said: 'Either you get amended aliases you get worse - you choose'," he said.

"There is truthful overmuch hype astir Finn connected nan outside, but he hasn't missed a training convention barroom nan 5 weeks past twelvemonth erstwhile he was injured. Those are nan things you are looking for successful players. You want guys who want to thrust nan group.

"We are very privileged to spot these guys execute and coach pinch them and against them. Because yet why do you coach? You coach for nan memories and to thief guys execute what they want to do."