ADULT CHAT LINE
PAUL GUSTARD has no doubt Eddie Jones can win England the World Cup – but stands by his decision to quit the set-up for a club job.
Father-of-three Gustard left his role as England defence coach to take charge of Harlequins, lured by the prospect of a better worklife balance.
Since then England have won five out of six games and lead the Six Nations by two points after destroying Ireland and France.
Far from feeling any bitterness towards workaholic Jones, he insists his time with the Australian has been the making of him as a coach.
“Eddie has his own way of doing things, but f*** it’s effective,” said Gustard, whose replacement John Mitchell has already made his mark.
“He developed my coaching for three years like I could not even begin to fathom, gave me a greater curiosity than I ever had before.
“Every single day he made me think, ‘How can I get better’?” added Gustard, who has used that learning to steer a Quins side which finished last season in disarray to third in the Premiership.
“He’s got an unbelievable eye for the game and has this ability to drive performance out of his coaches and players with a singularity of thought and purpose.”
Were his children not all aged five and under, Gustard (below) would probably have stayed with England, who he believes have a “tremendous” chance of World Cup success.
He acknowledges many will say
‘You’re mad to have left, you had the chance to win a
World Cup’.
“But what they don’t understand is
how I feel and what my wife and kids mean to me,” he explained.
“And they don’t understand the joy I get every day being on the field representing Harlequins.
“I’m 43, I’m head coach of one of the most famous clubs in the world, I’ve got a beautiful wife and three kids. Life is good.” Gustard, whose side play Worcester on Saturday as the Six Nations takes a breather, added: “I worked unbelievably hard. I brought energy every day. “I gave more than just being a defence coach. I can close my eyes at night and sleep and be happy with what I’ve done. But believe me, nobody will be cheering on England harder than me. I’d be some kind of d***head if I wanted anything but the best for people I worked so hard side by side with for three years.”
Quins full-back Mike Brown has been released by England to play for his club this weekend along with Joe Cokanasiga, Dan Cole and Dan Robson. Ben Te’o and Ollie Devoto are called into camp with props Harry Williams and Ben Moon.
■ May day for England, SOS from France and why Eddie Jones may not be rugby’s Mourinho after all. The Mirror Maul podcast at: https://aca.st/37abd7