Joe Marler's behaviour publicly questioned by Gustard after 'absolutely ridiculous' yellow
Harlequins head of rugby Paul Gustard branded Joe Marler’s actions “absolutely ridiculous” after the prop was sin-binned in his side’s 48-10 mauling at the hands of Sale.
Marler did not appear to be provoked when he put his elbow into the face of Sharks forward Jean-Luc du Preez at the start of the second half and duly earned 10 minutes off the field.
Although the visitors held out while the England loosehead was in the sin-bin, it was symptomatic of an ill-disciplined performance by the Londoners as they eventually conceded six tries.
“I’m sure Joe will look at himself, it’s absolutely ridiculous,” Gustard said. “There’s no need for that. There was plenty of off-the-ball stuff from Sale and we have got to rise above it but Joe was the protagonist and there’s just no place for that. It cost us an important player for 10 minutes and put the team under pressure again.”
Gustard also criticised his side’s whole display as Quins failed to secure the win which would have taken them into the top four ahead of the weekend’s action. He said: “It was very poor, we weren’t good enough. We got beaten up, Sale were much more physical than we were and got on top at the set-piece.
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“The only thing we can do is look at ourselves, regroup and address selection. We’ve got to find a way to win games. For all our possession we weren’t able to manufacture a score. We didn’t control the middle of the field very well and our discipline was poor.”
Quins are in Heineken Champions Cup action over the next two weeks, travelling to Bath before hosting Clermont Auvergne. Looking ahead to those matches, Gustard said: “I want to see people out there that have got character, I want people out there to show a bit of spirit and I need to see something more from my team because tonight was not an acceptable performance from a Harlequins team.”
Sale were in dominant form at the AJ Bell Stadium and established a 24-10 half-time lead following tries from Akker van der Merwe and the James brothers, Sam and Luke. The second period began as a much calmer affair, with Rob du Preez’s penalty the only points in the third quarter, but Sale finished with a flourish as Rob Webber, Chris Ashton and Rohan Janse van Rensburg all touched down to secure a bonus-point win.
This would be quite a result for @SaleSharksRugby and their new signing Lood de Jager… @chrisjonespress has the inside trackhttps://t.co/eqw5EuhzGU
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) January 2, 2020
Harlequins had taken an early lead through abriel Ibitoye’s converted try but their only addition to the scoreboard after that was a Marcus Smith three-pointer before the interval, and they went point-less in the second half. Quins are now eighth in the Gallagher Premiership standings, five points and five places behind a Sale team that displayed their play-off credentials with a complete demolition of one of their supposed top-four rivals.
Sharks director of rugby Steve Diamond said: “I’m happy with the result. We did well first half, weathered a storm in the first seven or eight minutes in the second half and took that penalty which seemed to take away any anxiety, and then we opened up as best we could.
“If you run hard and create momentum, you can run away with it and we managed to do that. What we’ve got is big lads. The du Preez lads are all enormous and the Currys, if you take one off, the next one comes on and there’s no difference in our book; I know Eddie Jones thinks differently.
“We’ve got two fantastic players there and then the skill Luke and Sam (James) show week in week out is just outstanding.”
– Press Association
Comments on RugbyPass
Oh wow… “But as La Rochelle proved in winning in Cape Town this season, a cross-continental away assignment need not spell the end of days.” La Rochelle actually proved quite the opposite. After traveling to Cape town and back they (back-to-back and current champs) got mercilessly thumped the next week. If travel is not the reason, why else would a full-strength powerhouse like La Rochelle get dumped on their @r$e$ one week later?
26 Go to commentsYou know he can land a winning conversion after the full time siren is up. (Even if it takes two attempts.)
5 Go to commentsA very insightful article from Jake. I would love to know how South African’s feel about their move to Europe. Do you prefer playing in Europe or want to go back to Super Rugby?
2 Go to commentspure fire
1 Go to commentsA very well thought out summary of all the relevant complications…agree with your ”refer the Cricket Test versus 20/20 comparison”. More also definitely doesn't necessarily mean better!
2 Go to commentsMust be something when you are only 19 y.o and both NZ and France want you. Btw he wasn’t the only new caledonian in french U20 as Robin Couly also lived in Noumea until 17. Hope he’s successful wherever he chooses to play.
7 Go to comments“Several key players in the Stade Rochelais squad are in their thirties” South Africans are going to hate the implications of that comment!
5 Go to commentsI know Leinster did a job on La Roche but shortly after HT Leinster were 30-13 ahead of them and at a similar time Toulouse were trailing Exeter. At 60 mins Leinster were 27 ahead but after 67 mins Toulouse were only 19 ahead before Exeter collapsed. That’s heavier scoring by Leinster against the Champions. I think people are looking at Toulouses total a little too much. I also think Northhampton are in with a real chance, albeit I’d put Leinster as favourites. If Leinster make the final I expect them to win by more than ten and with control.
5 Go to commentsHey Nick, your match analysis is decent but the top and tail not so much, a bit more random. For a start there’s a seismic difference in regenerating any club side over a test team. EJ pretty much had to urinate with the appendage he’d been given at test level whereas club success is impacted hugely by the budget. Look no further than Boudjellal’s Toulon project for a perfect example. The set ups at La Rochelle and Leinster are like chalk and cheese and you are correct that Leinster are ahead. Leinster are not just slightly ahead though, they are light years ahead on their plans, with the next gen champions cup team already blooded, seasoned and developing at speed from their time manning the fort in the URC while the cream play CC and tests. They have engineered a strong talent conveyor belt into their system, supported by private money funnelled into a couple of Leinster private schools. The really smart move from Leinster and the IRFU however is maximising the Irish Revenue tax breaks (tax relief on the best 10 years earnings refunded at retirement) to help keep all of their stars in Ireland and happy, while simultaneously funding marquee players consistently. And of course Barrett is the latest example. But in no way is he a “replacement for Henshaw”, he’s only there for one season!!! As for Rob Baxter, the best advice you can give him is to start lobbying Parliament and HMRC for a similar state subsidy, but don’t hold your breath… One thing Cullen has been very smart with is his coaching team. Very quickly he realised his need to supplement his skills, there was talk of him exiting after his first couple of years but he was extremely shrewd bringing in Lancaster and now Nienaber. That has worked superbly and added a layer that really has made a tangible difference. Apart from that you were bang on the money… 😉😂
5 Go to commentsNot 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.
26 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.
2 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.
26 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 comments