Gustard gets tough to revive Harlequins
New head of rugby tells Mick Cleary he will use Saracens approach at under-achieving club
There is no wolf at Harlequins yet but there is a 6ft 3in grizzly bear, the innovative off-field initiative of former Saracens and England defence coach Paul Gustard, as he looks to deliver on his new status as head of rugby at under-achieving ’Quins. The presence of a real wolf some years ago at a Saracens training session was a gimmick to reinforce the idea of a team’s defence being as tight and aggressive as a wolf pack.
Gustard is all too aware that it will take more than a life-size model at Harlequins’ training base in Guildford to turn things around at the club who finished 10th last season, level on points with the team below them, Worcester Warriors.
Gustard, however, is serious in his intent. The 42-year-old went straight from the plane that brought him from England’s tour to South Africa at the end of June to training at his new club. There was not a minute to be wasted in the overhaul. The coaching team has been revamped, so too the entire training methodology. He is well aware of the pitfalls of merely trying to copy what has gone on elsewhere but he makes no apology for adopting the workhard, play-hard mentality that has served Saracens so well.
“Saracens is an unbelievable club for lots of reasons, not just the rugby on the field but also the people behind it,” said Gustard, who spent 10 years there as player and coach. “But there are similarities here at Harlequins with the calibre of people on the board in Charles Jillings, Duncan Saville and David Ellis. Their vision for the club, their passion, is just like Nigel Wray’s. These are guys at the top of the organisation who have an ambitious thirst for the club to do well. My biggest take-home from Saracens is how they treat people. It aligns with my own outlook: treat people correctly, the right way, with respect, with love, with friendship, and those values will go a long way. Everything feels fresh. I hope everyone feels reinvigorated, the coaches, the strength and conditioning guys, everybody. There is a team behind the team here that counts.”
The back-room crew has had to be busy in recent days as the club prepare to open their Gallagher Premiership campaign at home to Sale Sharks, with Gustard eager to correct the calamitous second-half slump in a pre-season friendly against Glasgow that led to a 50-17 defeat. Harlequins have a reasonable opening programme of five league matches with fixtures against opponents who finished sixth or lower last season. The flip side of that, of course, is that defeats would weigh heavily.
“We have had a positive vibe throughout the summer and I don’t want to throw all that away because of 15 minutes of capitulation in Glasgow,” said Gustard. “All the sort of issues that have afflicted Harlequins were there again. We looked at it, what we needed to do, in defence, at set-piece, and we’ve got to be ready to go against Sale at home. If we win, then Glasgow will be forgotten.”
Harlequins’ scrum-half Danny Care has likened the arrival of Gustard to that of Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, hoping that the same charismatic blend of fun, shrewdness and robustness can pay dividends at the Stoop. Gustard himself pinpoints the contribution of Care as critical to their fortunes over the coming months.
“Danny is a guy I’ve been really excited about in pre-season,” said Gustard. “He was rested for England’s summer tour but he wants to be in the World Cup squad, which is great news for England as well as Harlequins because a revitalised Danny Care, buzzing, decisive, full of zest is a threat to anyone. We want to give Danny the opportunity to express himself. If we have a fully fit and firing Danny, with Marcus [Smith] alongside running the show, it will be a good place to be.”