Clifford: We must give JK a send-off
JACK Clifford has urged his Harlequins’ team-mates to rediscover their pride and give director of rugby John Kingston a fitting send-off even though he will be forced to watch from a hospital bed.
Powerful back rower Clifford has spent most of the last year out after enduring two bouts of shoulder surgery – adding to a run of misfortune that has restricted him to just 39 Premiership starts and ten caps since skippering England U20s to a world title in 2013.
And yesterday he was ruled out for the rest of the season when his hamstring was ripped off the bone early in the defeat against Gloucester. Clifford will need an operation and will have to start his fight to regain an England place some time next season.
In the meantime, he’s hoping his Quins pals can right some wrongs.
He said: “With what’s happened we’ve let a lot of people down and the team have got to go out and play as well as they can for John Kingston and put in performances they can be proud of, because we haven’t been doing that recently.
“John’s been here the whole time I have, he brought me through the academy as forwards coach and mentored me. I respect him a lot and was sad when he said he was going. He’ll be missed so I just want us to play well for him in these last few games.”
After dislocating his right shoulder 12 months ago, Clifford started this season but lasted just six games before subluxing the same shoulder against Sale in October and then reinjuring himself again in mid-November ahead of his intended return at Exeter.
Clifford said: “We tried rehabbing the second injury but it all went wrong and I had to have the surgery, which means it’s been a really frustrating year. “It’s been frustrating for the club, too, because we’ve had loads of guys – Francis Saili, Demetri Catrakilis and Renaldo Bothma to name three – who’ve been injured, come back and then been injured again, but it’s a combat sport so it will happen. “I’m three games back now and in my first against Sarries my first carry was into Maro Itoje and Mako Vunipola and the next one was Schalk Burger, so if you can run into that lot and the shoulder stands up, then you can run into most people.”
Yesterday’s injury came as a sickening blow.
On paper Quins have nothing to play for, but Clifford added: “There’s no pressure, we can’t make the top six, but it’s a chance to look to the future and prove we have a good squad by putting a marker down and making ourselves and ‘JK’ proud.”
Quins veteran flanker Chris Robshaw thinks the players deserve as much criticism as Kingston for their dip in form.
"I think it is unfair for everything to be pointed at him," Robshaw said.
"As a collective, from the top guy to the bottom guy and as a unit, we have not produced and unfortunately, being the top man, he has taken the stick.”