Richard Cockerill : "We face a difficult, but not impossible task"

Welcome to Toulon, Richard! Could you explain your role within the RCT staff?
I’m one of Mike [Ford’s] assistant managers. I’ll take part in the training sessions with the forwards and collaborate with Marc Dal Maso. I’ll also work with the backline and on the line-outs, but we’re all going to work together on every aspect of the game: the rucks, the attacking moves, etc.
What do you think about the RCT?
It’s a tremendous club who won many trophies and titles. The pressure is high, as it was in Leicester. I’m here to win, anyway. I left Leicester on Monday and Mike called me the day after. We know each other well: his son George was at the Leicester Academy when I was a coach there. He asked me to come and work with Marc Dal Maso, who is a swell bloke and a very good coach. So, here I am, and I am here to win! The next two weeks are going to be crucial for us, with the two European Cup games ahead. We face a difficult, but not impossible task.
What do you think can be improved in the Toulon game?
It would be pretentious, as I’ve just arrived, to tell what has to be done (Richard took part in his first training session with Toulon on Thursday, January 12th, in the morning). But you know, rugby is not a complex game and differences are made on small details, on every move, and that’s what really counts! It’s very important, in fact. I need to talk with the staff and the players. This morning was mainly about observation. There is no secret recipe, that doesn’t exist. What it takes is good, hard-working players. It’s the only recipe that can work.