Gustard departure leaves Jones with questions to answer – Andy Goode
Paul Gustard is the perfect fit for Harlequins but his departure from England leaves another gaping hole and more questions for Eddie Jones to answer.
It’s not just the players who are worked exceptionally hard when they’re with the national team. The pressure Jones puts on his members of staff is huge. Gustard has been an integral part of his coaching setup since 2016 and for him to leave 16 months out from a World Cup isn’t a good sign and puts a major spanner in the works.
It’s dreadful timing and, with Scott Wisemantel only on board for the June Tests, it means a team that’s aiming to be number one in the world and with more resources behind it than any other is left looking for both an attack and defence coach with a World Cup on the horizon. That’s far from ideal.
Shaun Edwards has been mentioned as a replacement but there seems to be an arrogance that we can just pick any coach in the world and just have them. He’s with Wales and he’s got to want the job and I’m not sure I can see he and Eddie Jones working together.
Alex Sanderson has also been spoken about but I’d be really surprised if he was in the running as the word is that they didn’t see eye to eye when they were together at Saracens.
I’d go for Brad Davis, who’s defence coach at Ospreys at the moment. He’s Australian and has a rugby league background and I worked with him at Wasps. He’s the best defence coach I had in my career and brings the level of detail you need at that level.
In terms of Quins, Gustard’s got a wealth of experience in winning environments with Saracens and England, everyone who works with him says he’s a very forward-thinking coach, he’s well liked by the players and has good relationships with a lot of the players at the club already, so it’s a good appointment.
I think they’re trying to move away from the traditional Quins ethos, which has had success at times but has also been proven to have a soft underbelly.
Saracens and Quins don’t like each other and there is bad blood between them so it’s a big statement from the club to appoint a man that has such a huge history at Allianz Park but there’s no question it’s what they need.
It’s been a very comfy environment at The Stoop for a while now with nobody really challenging each other and that’ll get shaken up. Defence has been a massive weakness with no aggression, no line speed and no physicality for much of this season and they’re all the things Gustard has brought to the teams he’s coached.
He’s famous for introducing the ‘wolfpack’ and, while he won’t do exactly the same things at Harlequins, he’s an innovative coach so maybe he’ll turn them into hyenas in defence and bring a few of those along to Surrey Sports Park!
I played with Guzzy at Leicester and he couldn’t catch a cold most of the time but he was hard and abrasive and we even named a running line after him because he’d always pick an angle from around 20 metres away and come screaming in towards the base of the ruck trying to find the blind spot of a defender. He’d cut everyone else’s line off in the process and drop the ball half the time but it was effective when he caught it and we used to call it the Guzzy line.
As well as being tough, though, he was a bit of a philosopher. He always thought outside the box even as a player, looking for different angles on things, and you could tell he’d make a good coach.
He’s going in as head of rugby and to have the role split with a general manager alongside him is exactly what he needs in his first head coaching role. It’s a big step up from solely focusing on defence and that’ll allow him to concentrate on what he’s good at it.
I know Ben Ryan has been mentioned but I don’t see him as being the top man in the 15-a-side game as sevens is a very different sport and I certainly don’t see him in this managerial role because I think his passion is coaching as well.
I’m sure Gustard will have had a big say in who he wants to fill that general manager vacancy and he won’t want someone who wants to get involved in the playing side of things, so I think it’ll be someone who’s used to wearing a suit and not a tracksuit.
There can be crossed wires if you get these appointments wrong. When I was at London Irish Glenn Delaney was in a suit but was desperate to be out on the training pitch and it muddied the waters.
Newcastle is the example of how to structure it as Dean Richards has no interest in being out on the training field and that allows Dave Walder, John Wells and co to do what they do best as well.
That’s what Gustard needs and he’ll also want to make sure the team of coaches underneath him is right for him. He has to have the final say on that. You’re only going to achieve success if the man at the top is happy and able to trust everyone underneath him and the whole staff is pulling in the same direction.
When I was at Leicester under Marcelo Loffreda, he had Richard Cockerill under him which was a situation that was forced on him and they were pulling in completely different directions. That didn’t end well, so it’ll be interesting to see what happens in terms of the assistant coaches at Quins.
He’s not going to be able to have much of a say in terms of recruitment for a while as there aren’t many quality players left on the market for next season, so he’s got his work cut out for him on the training field but that’s where his skills lie and there’s no doubt he’ll improve them.
It’s always a bit of a risk when you take a new job but Quins can’t get any worse than they were this season and he might not have any experience as the main man but I don’t see it as a gamble for the club either.
They’ve been going backwards since 2012 and Gustard’s hard-nosed mentality and doggedness combined with his innovative, forward-thinking approach is exactly what the doctor ordered.
Clearly, he had the desire to become a head coach, that was a massive pull for him, and he might have wanted to move back to day-to-day club coaching and the more settled family life that comes with that as well.
The long-term deal on offer from Quins provides greater stability and I’d expect a head coach in the Premiership to be on a lot more money than an assistant coach at international level, so there are understandable reasons for his departure but that doesn’t mean there aren’t question marks for England.
It isn’t just the coaching situation, there’s a high turnover of other staff such as physios and communications managers underneath Eddie Jones. He’s had a lot of success and there’s no doubting his credentials but it’s also evident how tough he is to work for.
You can see why Harlequins wanted Gustard and why he would want to go but the question marks all sit firmly at the England head coach’s door now. Who he turns to next will prove pivotal for England’s World Cup chances but maybe he needs to have a look at his management style as well.
Comments on RugbyPass
Great story. Rugby needs new investment in teams like Brussels another pro league in Europe would be great.
1 Go to commentsAlso, looking at the data from last year, it seemed like by far the two biggest predictors of success were (1) kicking more than your opponents, and (2) having a higher rate of line-out wins than your opponents. I haven’t gone through the stats this year with a fine tooth comb, but the increase in kicks per game and the increase in tries from lineouts would suggest that these two metrics are only getting more important. England’s move away from a kick-heavy game to win against Ireland was seen by some as evidence that running rugby is on the rise. Alternatively it could be taken as evidence that if one team kicks more, and the other team wins more lineouts (as England did) a match is bound to be close to a draw.
2 Go to commentsI have been finding it odd that points per 22 entry has become such a talked about stat, given that your points per entry can be driven down by having more entries. These data would seem to confirm that it isn’t a useful metric, or at any rate is less useful than total entries.
2 Go to commentsI think the last two games England have played is some of their best rugby they have played under Borthwick. There has been a lot more attacking instinct and as a reward have created some well worked tries. Ollie Lawrence is a good foil at 12 as he offers the hard direct lines whilst the rest of the backs can play open. As much as it pains me to say but I do hope England keep playing this way. On a side note my favourite try of the weekend was Lorenzo Pani’s for the nice loop play that put him away and his finish was excellent. Thanks as always Nick.
39 Go to commentsMost exciting player on the planet right now, worth the price of a ticket.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith and Ireland live rent free in Safa’s heads. Their comments only triggers because its true. If the Boks had dismantled a 14 man AB’s, then there would be more respect. But they didnt, in fact quite the opposite, the 14 man NZ were clearly better. And the Bok have always been ordinary between RWC’s, thats why their supporters are now ‘only RWC’s matter’. They know thats BS. Its BS to both AB’s and Bok’s due to their history. But now its all the Safas have. Now we’ll hear excuses when they lose “oh we didnt have all our players available, the ABs/France/Eng/Irel were at full strength”, forgetting for a minute that its because of their own dumb policy. Oh well, makes a change from blaming ‘cheating refs’.
23 Go to commentsNo Nick, they did not, in fact, justify any ‘probables’ label. At no time did they seriously compete for the championship. Ireland led from start to finish and in the end, as a result of glaring referee errors, were never under serious pressure to lose their crown.
39 Go to commentsMoney for him, and his family, has been the sole motivator since he signed for Queensland aged 17. Why else sign for Melbourne. Tupou is poorly advised. If he’d stayed and developed in NZ he would have had a long Test career. If Leinster offer him a few more coins than he’s currently earning, he’s goneburger.
4 Go to commentsFinn. No one would say Ford had played well up until the last game. One standout performance in 5 is hardly in form . It should be a given that a 10 will control play . Not in Fords case be praised for suddenly doing so. Where was he against Scotland ,Italy. The pundits were saying how far away from play he was standing and one even said that the Ireland game was his last chance saloon to perform . Not exactly top form catching anyones eye. If he can play like this game after game then great. Keep him in . But after 90 odd caps we all know he just doesnt keep it going . By all means keep him there but the issue is that Borthwick will persist even when he plays poorly. Which is more often than not. Thats why i am concerned that Smith ,despite fab form , cannot get a game at his preferred spot. Can you imagine Ford at full back .
5 Go to commentsI do not really get why put Ollivon at 6 when he’s a 7, while Cros was the best Frenchman of the tournament, playing at…6. His only game replacing Aldritt at 8 doesn’t change much in terms of his impact. Lamaro was also outstanding in that brilliant Italian side, probably better than Reffell. So putting 2 Welsh players from the wooden spoon holders, and none of the 4th nation (Scotland) is also strange. Is it about showing that in this harsh transition Wales is, there were some standouts…?
6 Go to commentsThe events at this year’s six nations should undermine many of the arguments made against promotion and relegation between the six nations and the REC. If Italy had been allowed to yo-yo between divisions it conceivably could have really hurt their development, but if Italy, Wales, and Scotland are all at risk of relegation, with none of them being relegated more often than once every 3 or 4 years, you’d have to back all of them to muddle on through it, especially when you factor in the likelihood they’ll still be guaranteed world league matches against tier 1 opponents. Another way of looking at italys resurgence would be to say that the development model of adding an extra team to the six nations has worked, and now must be done again. Georgia could join to make it a 7 team round robin, and if and when Georgia demonstrate an ability to consistently win games, Portugal can also be added to make it an 8 team 2 conference competition. Frankly at this point I think it falls to world rugby to demand that the 6N act in the interests of the game. If the 6N won’t commit to expansion then the 6N teams should be handicapped in world cup draws (i.e. world cup seedings would not be based on their ranking points, but on their ranking points minus a 5 point penalty).
6 Go to commentsSteve Borthwick deserves credit for releasing the shackles on his England side and letting them play in a manner that somewhat resembles the top sides in the Gallagher Premiership. Will they revert to type in New Zealand in July.?
39 Go to commentsJames Lowe wouldn't get in any other 6N team. He's a great example of Farrell’s brilliance, and the Irish system. He is slow. His footwork is poor. But he fits perfectly in that Irish system, and has a superb impact. But put him in another team, and he'll look bang average.
6 Go to commentsCrusaders reached their heights through recruitment of North Island players, often leaving those NI teams bereft of key players. Example: Scott Barrett and Sam Whitelock robbed the Canes of their lineout and AB locks. For years the Canes have struggled at lock. This rabid recruitment was iniated by rule changes by a Crusader dominated NZR Head Office. Now this aggressive recruitment has back-fired, going after young inside back Hamilton Boys stars. They now have 4 Chiefs region 10s and not one with the requisite experience at Super level. Problems of their own making!
2 Go to commentsOver rated for a long time…exposed at scrum time too.
4 Go to comments“Firing me” should have been Gatland’s answer.
2 Go to commentsFinn Russell logic: “World” = 4 countries. Ireland may be at or near the top. FR’s bigger concern should be he and his fellow Scots (incl. the Bloemfontein ones) sliding back down to below top 10
42 Go to commentsMind games have begun. Ireland learned their lesson after saying they could beat England with 13 players or whatever. Still, if they win at Loftus, that would be impressive - final frontier etc.
58 Go to comments$950k for a Prop that isn’t fit enough to play 10 mins of rugby? Surely there is someone better to replace Big Mike with
4 Go to commentsFour Kiwis in that backline. A solid statement on the lack of invention, risk-taking and joy in the NH game; game of attrition and head- banging tedium. Longterm medical problems aplenty in the future!
6 Go to comments