Wales centurion prop working to give Harlequins grit Gatland style
ADAM Jones has urged Harlequins to adopt the sort of hard edge possessed by the Wales teams he played for under Warren Gatland if they are to achieve success.
Harlequins parted company with former head of rugby Paul Gustard at the end of January in a move which shocked the Premiership.
But in their first game since Gustard’s departure, the men from The Stoop showed just how good they can be by thrashing last season’s finalists Wasps 49-17 in Coventry.
That game saw Quins play their traditional, enterprising brand of rugby, but Jones wants them to marry that with some grit.
“Attack is in the Quins’ DNA but that style of rugby doesn’t work all the time,” Jones told TRP.
“It certainly worked against Wasps, but we had a good balance to our game which allowed us to play the unstructured rugby we’re good at.
“You don’t want to harp back too much to the days of old. I come from a country where at the start of my career everyone just kept talking about the 1970s. It was only until we won a couple of Grand Slams that people shut up a bit. You respect the past, but you’ve got to move with the game.
“There is not much we’ve changed in the game plan, but in the Wasps game we got the first try and the boys’ confidence zoomed up from there. It’s too easy to use the change in coach as an explanation.
“Rugby hasn’t changed a great deal in the last 20 years. There are things like GPS and different technicalities but fundamentally if you run, work and tackle hard then it gets you your rewards.
“The boys are now learning that and we’re in a good place at the moment.
“I’ve been involved in environments when a coach leaves both at Test and club level. It happened to me in 2012 with the Ospreys and we went on to win the league. Maybe that can happen at the Quins!” Jones won Six Nations Grand Slams with Wales in 2005, 2008 and 2012 in a glittering career, but it was the winning mentality which us. We’re doing the basics Gatland installed in the well and that goes a long country that he wants way. It’s things like ball to bring to Quins. placement and urgency at With Billy Millard the breakdown,” he said. in charge of “If things like that go the club following well, the rest will follow Gustard’s departure, suit. The boys are on a Jones high after what has been a hopes his strange ten weeks. team can “Guzzy has left, but continue things haven’t changed too on an much. It’s been kind of upward seamless even though we curve. had a couple of days when “Consistency it was a bit weird. I learned a lot from Paul and he was has been a massive help to me. I’ll a big stay in touch with him for thing for as long as I can.”
Jones joined Quins as a player in 2015 before making the move into coaching.
“I love the club. I was lucky to get the chance to come here with Conor O’Shea and John Kingston in a player and mentor role,” he said.
“It was a chance to come to a famous club and develop my coaching and it’s been a slow progression. I’m learning all the time and one thing I’ve learned is less can be more.
“When I was starting out, I was preoccupied with how much we should be doing. The other thing is presentation.
“I’ve got a pretty strong Welsh accent and I’ve got a trait from my father’s side of the family where I start to talk really quickly and no one can understand me. My wife tells me to speak like a cow – slower so they can understand me! I haven’t quite picked up a Surrey twang yet.
“Hopefully I never do and always have the Swansea valley accent. It’s a great club here. There have been ups and downs, but I’m enjoying it.”