Gustard cuts the mustard now
AT THE end of England’s autumn campaign, Eddie Jones aimed a tongue-in-cheek jibe at his former defence coach, Paul Gustard, saying: ‘Guzzie went to Harlequins and he maybe wishes he hadn’t gone now. I saw their win-loss record. I’m sure he’ll bounce back!’ Well, on Friday night he and his team did bounce back — emphatically. They had the transformed look of title-challengers in dispatching Exeter. The visitors rested several leading men but Quins were aggressive and energetic, bright and clinical. Their defence had Gustard’s fingerprints all over it. Inspiration came from familiar and fresh faces. At full back, Mike Brown played like a man who simply will not give up on his World Cup dream. And Alex Dombrandt is quite some find. The rookie flanker is not long out of university but if he keeps playing like this, he will soon be viewed as a Test candidate, in a position where England have lots of options but no dominant figure.