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Exclusive: Ex-Wallaby captain Horwill responds to 'player power' allegations at Harlequins
Former Wallaby captain James Horwill has hit back at claims player power played a major role in John Kingston’s axing and insists the Harlequins director of rugby did not “lose the dressing room.”
Horwill believes he shares, along with the rest of the playing squad, responsibility for the club’s dreadful run this season that sees them head into tomorrow’s difficult Premiership trip to Gloucester in ninth place, having failed to qualify for next season’s European Rugby Champions Cup.
Kingston will complete a 17-year association with Quins at the end of this season and the club, as RugbyPass revealed earlier this week, has set up a panel to identify the man they want to take over. Expected to be included on the shortlist will be Leinster’s Stuart Lancaster, Glasgow’s David Rennie and Scott Robertson, of the Crusaders.
For Horwill, it is now about regaining lost pride and he is fit to face Gloucester a week after a neck injury forced him to watch from the stand as his team collapsed 35-5 to bottom club London Irish, a loss that drew boos from the crowd and triggered Kingston’s departure. Rumours circulated that Quins players were unhappy with Kingston’s regime, prompting speculation about the role leading stars had played in his decision to go.
Horwill has decided to put the record straight and said: “JK had not lost the dressing room. He is a top bloke who cares deeply about the club and anyone who has spent 17 years at the place has a deep passion for Quins and it is unfortunate what has happened. We need to make sure that we work to fix the issues. We need to be better as a playing group and we need to take ownership of that and JK has not lost the dressing room. I am really sorry it has ended the way it has for him.
“As players we need to put our hands up and take responsibility and we had a team meeting to discuss everything as a squad. We have a month of the season left with three Premiership games and the A league side with a semi-final. We haven’t performed and we have an opportunity in this Gloucester game to put in a performance we can be proud of and finish the season on the right note.
“It was incredibly frustrating to watch the Irish match, not being able to help out. It was tough to sit there, but now we have three games left to right some wrongs. There have been times when we played well in games but have not built momentum. Our biggest downfall is not being able to get on a decent run where we have put in back-to-back performances and I am not sure if all the injuries comes into it, but a lack of cohesion in certain positions could be a factor.
“We have lost a number of key guys to injury for long periods this season and with the English season being much longer compared to the Southern Hemisphere you have the ability to get them back in time to still play a part. It all adds to the frustration because we haven’t been able to pick a number of guys in certain positions and sometimes that overloads other players who were initially not due to play so much rugby. However, that is not an excuse for some of our performances.”
Watch episode 1 of the Rugby Explorer with Jim Hamilton
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Ex-Scotland international, Jim Hamilton, travels to Singapore to explore the city and find out more about the rugby scene in the Southeast Asian country. He meets up with the national team captain and several local players.
Comments on RugbyPass
Not sure exactly what went wrong for him at Glasgow but it’s pretty clear he ain’t Franco’s cup of tea. Suspect he would have been better served heading out of Scotland around the same time as Finn, Hoggy and Jonny!
1 Go to commentsBulls disrespected the Northampton supporters and the competition. Decide quickly, fully in or out.
24 Go to commentsI wonder if Parling was ever on England’s radar as a coach? Obviously Borthwick is a great lineout coach, but I do worry he might be taking on too much as both head coach and forwards coach.
1 Go to commentsJason Jenkins has one cap. When Etzebeth was his age he had over 80 caps. Experience matters. He will never amount to what Etzebeth has because he hasn’t been developed as an international player.
1 Go to commentsSays much about the player picking this gig over the easier and bigger rewards offered to him in Japan. Also says a lot about the state sanctioned tax benefits the Irish Revenue offers pro rugby players, with their ten highest earning years subject to an additional 40% tax relief and paid as a lump sum, in cash, at retirement. Certainly helps Leinster line up the financial ducks in a row to fund marquee signings like this!!! No other union anywhere in world rugby benefits from this kind of lucrative financial sponsorship from their government…
5 Go to commentsTrue Jordie could earn a lot more in Japan. But by choosing Leinster he’ll be playing with 1 of the best clubs in the world and can win a champions cup and URC…..
6 Go to commentsThanks for that Marshy, noticed you didn't say who is gonna win it. We know who ain't gonna win it - your Crusaders outfit. They've gone from having arguably the best Super Rugby first five ever, to having a clutch of rookies. Hurricanes all the way!
1 Go to commentsGeez you really have to question the NRLs ability to produce players of quality. Its pathetic. Dont the 25mil in Aus produce enough quality womens players. Sad.
1 Go to commentsBulls fan here, and agree 100% with the conclusion (and little else) of this article. SA sides should absolutely f-off from the champs cup until we get fair scheduling, equal support for travel arrangements and home semis. You know, like all the european teams get.
24 Go to commentsI’m yet to see why Grace would be an ABs contender. He’s pedestrian and lacks the dominance required of a top flight 8.
11 Go to commentsGee my Highlanders were terrible. They have gone backwards since the start of the season. The trouble began when we left Millar behind to prep as the 10 against the Brumbies and he was disconnected from the team that came back from Aussie. We rested Patchell for that game and we blew an avalanche of ball in good attacking positions in the 1st half. Against the Rebels we seem to of gone into a pod system with forwards hanging off from the breakdown leaving Fakatava to secure our ball!
80 Go to commentsPot Kettle, the English and French teams have done it for years.
24 Go to commentsHas virtually played every minute of previous games. Back row of Li Lo Willie , Grace and Blackadder would be the 1. Crusaders issue is a very average 1st 5 who cannot run. Kicking in general play is also below par They need to put Yong Kemara in. He must have so.e talent for them to bring him down from Waikato. Hoehepa would struggle to play in so.e club sided
11 Go to commentsI hope this a good thing making all these changes!
3 Go to commentsThe Hurricanes are good, especially with a decent coach now. However, let’s be real, the Crusaders and Chiefs are clearly a good degree weaker without the players they’ve lost overseas now. The Canes lost one player. It’s also why the aussie teams ‘seem’ to be stronger.
9 Go to commentsOr you could develop your own players instead of constantly taking from the SH competition and weakening it in the process? With all the player and financial resources these unions have compared to SH countries you’d think they could manage that, or is weakening the SH comps and their national sides an added bonus? Probably.
3 Go to commentsNot so fast Aaron, we might need you in black yet lol. God knows he’d be a lot less nerve-racking than hot and (very) cold players like Perofeta. It’s really a shame Reuben Love isn’t playing 10, we’ve got enough 15 options.
4 Go to commentsAnd those from the NH still seem to be puzzled (and delighted) why NZ’s depth isn’t what it once was. Over 600 NZ players overseas, that’s insane. This sort of deal is why Super Rugby coaches have admitted they struggle now to find enough quality to fill out their squads.
6 Go to commentsArticle intéressant ! La question devrait régulièrement se poser pour les jeunes français originaires de Nouvelle-Calédonie, Wallis-et-Futuna et de Polynésie entre la Nouvelle-Zélande et la Métropole… Difficile pour la fédération française de rugby de se positionner : soit le choix est fait de dénicher les jeunes talents et de les faire venir très tôt en Métropole, au risque de les déraciner, soit on prend le risque de se les faire “piller” par les All Blacks qui, telle une araignée, essaye de récupérer tous les talents des îles du Pacifique… À la France de se défendre en développant l’aura du XV de France et des clubs français dans ses collectivités d’Outre-mer !
4 Go to commentsWrong bay. He needs to come to the REAL BAY which is Bay Of Plenty and have a crack at making the Chiefs.
4 Go to comments