Gustard will take Quins on the Klopp
LIVERPOOL fan Danny Care believes Harlequins have landed their own Jurgen Klopp in the shape of new boss Paul Gustard.
The appointment of the former England defence coach to his first head coach’s role as a reaction to last season’s dismal 10th-placed finish is a gamble from Quins.
After an excellent start to his career in Test rugby, Gustard cut an increasingly pressured figure under Eddie Jones and jumped ship little more than a year out from the World Cup.
But Care, England’s most-capped scrumhalf, expects Quins to see a rejuvenated Gustard doing for them what Klopp has done at Anfield. “From day one, I’ve loved working with him. He reminds me of a bit of a Klopp-type manager – a guy who makes you work incredibly hard but a guy who will also put an arm round you if you need that,” said Care.
“‘Guzzie’ has energy in abundance and all he wants to do is win. He hates losing. His prerequisite this year is that we are the hardestworking team in the Premiership. The hardest-working team normally win the league and we haven’t set specific goals, but that is the ultimate goal; to be the best team in the league.”
The fun has included a pre-season bonding trip to Amsterdam while the hard work has concentrated on a defence that leaked almost 30 points a game last season.
As part of the clearout from the John Kingston era, defence coach Nick Easter was shown the door with Gustard taking responsibility. To stress the snarling approach he wants, he placed a life-sized model of a bear in the corner of the Stoop dressing room during pre-season.
“Our defence last year wasn’t good enough,” said Care. “You can’t ship easy points; you have to make it incredibly hard for teams to score.
“We let a few standards slip in training last season and it showed in games. I love the club and to be down where