Daniel Wales sits down with 17 year old Sunderland midfielder Chris Rigg ahead of the Black Cats’ Championship Play-Off Final against Sheffield United, reflecting on the semi-final win over Coventry, as well as Rigg’s disappointment at not starting, and life under Régis Le Bris.
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00:00Chris Rigg could not contain his excitement
00:04following Sunderland's last gasp winner
00:06against Coventry City in their play-off semi-final second leg.
00:11The young midfielder sat down with me
00:13ahead of the trip to Wembley.
00:16Well, Chris, I thought it's probably the best place to start
00:19would be Tuesday night.
00:21I think the message till the end,
00:23that was emblazoned all across the stadium of light.
00:25It's been all across the social media.
00:27You couldn't, as a squad, have taken that more literally
00:29on Tuesday, couldn't you not?
00:31How did it feel?
00:32Take me back to that night and that moment.
00:35You couldn't write it, could you?
00:36Till the end.
00:38Write till the very end.
00:40That's what it means, isn't it, for the fans, for the players.
00:43I think we fight till the end.
00:45We fight for every moment.
00:48And moments like that, they last a lifetime.
00:51Obviously, you yourself will have been disappointed
00:53to have not started that game
00:54and the previous leg as well against Coventry.
00:57What will you do this week
00:59to make sure that you're in the mind
01:01of Regis Lebrese going into Wembley on Saturday?
01:04No, look, I think I've done the same all season.
01:07I just try my best.
01:09I spoke to the gaffer before the games
01:12and he gave me a reason why I wasn't starting
01:14and I agreed.
01:15It was very fair.
01:17And I'll just do what I've been doing all season.
01:19I don't think I need to change anything
01:21because, as you can see, I've played most games
01:23so I must have been doing something right.
01:25So, it would be a dream come true if I did start
01:30but at the end of the day, it's like what the team want,
01:34not what I want
01:35and I'd love nothing more than going into that game and winning.
01:38For Regis Lebrese, the play-off final
01:40is probably his biggest managerial fixture to date
01:43and despite Riggs' disappointment,
01:45the 17-year-old was full of praise for his head coach.
01:48What's Regis Lebrese like?
01:49Because, of course, when he came into this club
01:51sort of last summertime,
01:53a bit of an unknown quantity in this country
01:54had never been here before as a manager
01:56and yet, under him, you've had so many starts this season.
02:00You've really grasped that opportunity.
02:02So, what's he been like for you
02:03and how did you compare to, say, Tony Mowbray
02:05or Michael Beal, who you had before?
02:07I think it's just more tactical, really.
02:09Like, obviously, I respect him so much
02:11because I don't know the feeling
02:14but I wouldn't like to know the feeling
02:15of going away, not speaking the language,
02:17not knowing anyone
02:18and coming by yourself to a club
02:20that no-one knows who you are, really.
02:22But he's absolutely took that opportunity
02:24and he's done so well for us this season
02:27so it's mainly up to him why we are in this position.
02:30You seem to be, despite your young age,
02:32someone who can really look after themselves on the pitch.
02:34You're not afraid of a tackle,
02:36you can get yourself stuck in,
02:37you can sort of stand your ground a little bit.
02:39Where does that come from, do you think,
02:41even though you're only 17, nearly 18?
02:43I think it's just the background, really.
02:44If you're from the North East,
02:45then it's just what you're about.
02:47Like, I think if I'm going to go into games scared,
02:50then I may as well not play, to be honest.
02:53I like to stand my ground.
02:54I like to show why I'm there.
02:57Sunderland themselves will have to show
02:59why they are there at Wembley
03:01with Rigg discussing preparations ahead
03:03of the trip to the capital.
03:07And so, what's the preparation this week
03:09going to look like for you?
03:10I mean, training, obviously, yes.
03:12Are you going to try and score at Wembley
03:13with yourself on FIFA a good few times as well?
03:15Yeah, I might do.
03:16No, the preparation's going to be
03:19the same as it always is.
03:21It's going to be intense.
03:22It's going to be quick.
03:26And that's how we like it.
03:27That's how we like to play.
03:27That's how we want to impose ourselves
03:30to not only our fans,
03:32but the rest of the fans
03:33to shock everyone watching us.
03:37And hopefully we can take that into Wembley
03:39and go a step further.
03:40What would it mean to you
03:41to play in the Premier League
03:42before you can vote,
03:43before you can drink?
03:44It would mean an absolute world to me.
03:47Not only to me,
03:47to everyone in my family,
03:50everyone back home,
03:52the players.
03:53I think that's what the club needs,
03:55the fans.
03:57And just coming on to Wembley,
03:59obviously, we mentioned
04:00if you start, fantastic.
04:01If you don't,
04:02I suppose you'll be ready
04:03to impact off the bench.
04:04Yeah, of course.
04:05I think in the last two games
04:07I've done that.
04:08I came on twice
04:09and we scored twice.
04:10So I just want to do
04:11my job for the team.
04:13It's a team game
04:14at the end of the day
04:15and to get to the Premier League
04:17you're going to need everyone.
04:19And Sunderland certainly
04:19will have their supporters
04:21with them at Wembley
04:22on Saturday,
04:23with Rigg giving them
04:24one final message
04:25ahead of the final.
04:26I know obviously
04:27you're only young
04:28and it sort of feels
04:29probably like you've got
04:29the weight of the world
04:30on your shoulders
04:30in terms of representing them,
04:32but what would you say to them
04:33if they were all
04:34stood outside that door?
04:35It's till the end.
04:37So they'll then take over
04:40everywhere they go.