We are to blame for Kingston exit
CHRIS ROBSHAW has taken his fair share of flak during his career and is ready to take some more in the wake of John Kingston’s departure from Harlequins.
Director of rugby Kingston will leave Quins, after 17 years at the club in various guises, at the end of the season following a desperate campaign that has left them lying ninth in the Aviva Premiership.
The decision was made more than a week before Monday’s announcement, but the players were unaware of it when they collapsed 35-5 to London Irish at home on Saturday.
After captaining England to their early exit from a home World Cup, Robshaw knows all about dark days, but this was his bleakest at club level in 13 years at Quins.
And Robshaw says the squad should take the blame for that and the exit of Kingston, right, instead of heaping it all on one man.
“It is unfair for everything to be pointed at him this season,” said Robshaw.
“As players, me included, we have not been good enough.
“From the top guy to the bottom guy, as a unit we have not produced and unfortunately, him being the top man, he has taken the stick for that.
“The weekend was one of the lowest moments.
“When you have lost to a fellow London team who are bottom of the table, by a bonus point and barely scored a try, and are booed off your own pitch, it hurt. It is tough to look in the mirror.
“It is not just down to John – as a collective, we have not been good enough this year.
“From my point of view and the team point of view, it was one of the hardest performances to take. You can accept losing but it was the manner in which we did. We were poor in every facet of the game, whether it was discipline, accuracy, structure, defence – whatever it was – it was one of those days where nothing went right for us.” The search for Kingston’s successor is already on, with Harlequins hoping to make an announcement by the end of the season so the new man can get stuck into recruitment – and senior players will be consulted. Many of those, such as Robshaw and Mike Brown, have spent their whole careers with Kingston, and they and many former players have offered their sympathy to the departing boss.
Even wing Marland Yarde, who left the club for Sale under a cloud before Christmas, was moved to text his old boss to offer support.
An emotional Kingston described the response of players past and present as “humbling” at Quins’ Surrey training ground yesterday, before preparing his team for tomorrow’s league game at Gloucester, who are still in with a chance of a play-off place.
England prop Joe Marler has criticised the coaching staff at Harlequins this season and described the club as too comfortable, but he will still
HOW THEY STAND
P W D L B F A Pts Exeter..... 19 14 0 5 14 498 313 70 Saracens. 19 13 0 6 10 577 318 62 Leicester. 19 12 0 7 8 458 407 56 Wasps ..... 19 11 1 7 10 510 435 56 Newcastle 19 12 0 7 6 373 414 54 Sale ........ 19 10 0 9 13 494 427 53 Gloucester 19 10 1 8 9 421 483 51 Bath........ 19 9 0 10 10 460 451 46 Harlequins 19 7 0 12 8 440 518 36 North’pton 19 6 0 13 8 421 564 32 Worcester.19 6 0 13 7 349 526 31 Lon Irish . 19 3 0 16 10 347 492 22 be playing at Kingsholm. And Kingston said: “If I had a problem with him, that wouldn’t be the case.
“And it’s the case with all of my players, the relationship with all of them is sound.
“Marland was one of the first people to text me – a beautiful text – good man.
“Clearly, when you have been at something for 17 years, you are going to be disappointed and upset about it because it is something you have given an awful lot to. But it was the right thing.
“It is not something where I am emotionally in turmoil about the thing – I am very comfortable with where we are at and I am very comfortable looking forward to the next three weeks, starting with Saturday.”