Buchanan takes pot-shot at Quins keyboard warriors
HARLEQUINS hooker Rob Buchanan has blasted the club’s social media bashers, urging them to lay off the management and put their energies behind the team.
Buchanan, 25, has been shocked by the ferocity of social media abuse aimed at new rugby director John Kingston and his coaches in the wake of a lacklustre opening day victory over Bristol and subsequent defeat at Sale Sharks.
Vociferous fans have made clear their annoyance that Quins opted to appoint Conor O’Shea’s successor from within, rather than attracting a big overseas name, but Buchanan,
below, believes Kingston is the right man to lead the club forward.
The former England Saxon told The
Rugby Paper: “The whole psychology behind professional sport is amazing and for people to suggest that John Kingston should be out after one win against Bristol and a narrow loss at Sale is utterly ridiculous. People need to calm down a bit.
“In my opinion, the management changes have been good. JK’s changed a few bits of our game which we’re still getting used to, but the bulk of what we’re doing is the same and it’s been good having Graham Rowntree around.
“Nobody’s happy with where we finished last year and it’s on the forefront of everyone’s mind to be much better. We feel that if we do everything we say we’re going to do in training and meetings, we can achieve something really good.”
Long-serving Buchanan is at last homing in on his 100th senior appearance for the club after an injuryhit couple of years in which what ought to have been a routine recovery from a pectoral injury turned into a nightmare. He explained: “It’s been a tough period.
I’d call myself a confidence player and once you get a couple of games under your belt you can really start to enjoy it, but with my injuries I’d play one game and then I was out again.
“I ruptured my right pec and they had to drill holes through one of my bones to reattach it. It should have taken two months but there was a build-up of bone so I had to undergo shockwave therapy and it dragged on and on.
“It’s good to come through it, though, and great that the club kept faith with me. It would have been easy for them to say they didn’t want me anymore and get rid, but the coaches have backed me and that’s been a real positive.”
Buchanan, who has 90 senior appearances, added: “This is my eighth season and my big goal is to get to that 100-cap mark.
“We’ve got Joe Gray and Dave Ward so it’ll be no walk in the park, but to get my name on that honours board would be brilliant and I want to repay the faith by helping Quins get back on top.”