Why Quins must look outside the club for Kingston's replacement – Andy Goode
It’s a real shame to see John Kingston leave Harlequins after 17 years at the club but they need a strong outside influence at the top to turn their fortunes around.
Kingston has carried the can and it’s hard to argue with that after six defeats in their last seven Premiership games and an awful season but it isn’t just him who has been at fault and big changes are needed if they’re to be competitive next season.
We’re in a results-driven business and there is pressure on the man at the top to produce the results. Champions Cup qualification is a huge carrot as well now and directors of rugby know the consequences if they don’t get enough points on the board.
They did scrape into the Champions Cup places last season and the statement from the club yesterday pointed out that it was their highest league finish for three years but they should be aiming higher than that and they’ve actually fallen backwards.
Kingston said in his statement that “this is the strongest squad ever assembled in all my time at Harlequins” and you can understand why he’s saying that but it simply isn’t the case. They won the Premiership six years ago with a group of players that were all at the top of their game.
And, if he does genuinely believe that, then the coaching underneath him would have to be questioned. Nick Easter and Nick Evans are learning and have the potential to be top class coaches but being a top player doesn’t automatically mean you’ll become a top coach.
There’s only really Graham Rowntree among the coaching staff who is an outside voice as the other coaches are all embedded within the Quins system. Mark Mapletoft has been there since 2010 as well, so are his ideas going a bit stale? Or, is the environment just way too comfortable for the players?
Kingston, along with Mapletoft and Rowntree, signed a new contract in January and, whatever the details are of that, he’s going to get a sizeable pay-off so you do have to question the board in terms of why those contracts were renewed at that point.
It’s not as if they were flying high just after Christmas. They were in ninth place in the table back then as well. They’ve never even been a contender in terms of the top four this season after losing to London Irish on day one.
There is a massive question mark over the strength of this Harlequins squad and particularly the depth that they have when their frontline players are away. The quality of the Premiership now means you can’t just rely on all of your players coming through the academy system.
You have to look at what other clubs are doing and, although they’ve been out injured a lot as well, their major signings of Renaldo Bothma, Francis Saili and Demetri Catrakilis don’t measure up.
There are some real positives at Quins and you don’t want to throw the baby out with the bathwater but they need a strong figure at the helm to take the club forward because they’ve unquestionably underachieved and gone backwards since they won the title in 2012.
They need a strong personality and leader now who can continue to develop the good aspects that the club is renowned for but also address the areas where they’ve been found out this year.
They’ve moved to make this decision more quickly than they might have done before because they know Bristol are coming up with a really competitive squad and if they perform at this level next season, they’ll definitely be looking over their shoulders and they could be staring relegation in the face if things get any worse.
I think they must have had this in their thoughts for a few weeks in terms of planning for next season because it sounds like they’ve already started looking into replacements.
The search is on for a big name but I don’t know how many suitable people are out there looking for work. The link they now have with the NZRU will lead people to look over there. Wayne Smith would obviously be a major coup but he’s working in Japan and has said he doesn’t want a full-time role.
Jim Mallinder could reinvent himself there but there’s unlikely to be a real clamour from outside for him to be the man. Stuart Lancaster is doing a great job at Leinster but I’m not sure he’s the right man for the top job. Richard Cockerill would be perfect for them but he’s at Edinburgh.
Everyone would love to see Martin Johnson back in the game and a director of rugby position rather than head coach might suit him but I don’t think he needs it in his life. He’s got a number of roles that keep him busy but you never know. They’d be silly not to at least try to speak to him.
Nick Kennedy looks like he could have a great future in coaching but I think he’s too inexperienced. Jake White’s name comes up whenever a job is available and then there is someone like Robbie Deans who might be open to it but I’m scratching my head really.
It’s never nice to see anyone lose their job at all but we are in a results business and sentimentality doesn’t win you trophies. It’s really sad to see him go after 17 years at the club but you do have to be ruthless if you want to be successful.
Chief executive David Ellis has talked about winning titles but they’re a million miles away from that at the moment. As much as it’s a passion and we all love the game, rugby is an out-and-out business now. Action had to be taken but the next decision over who to hire in his stead won’t be any easier.
Comments on RugbyPass
Firstly the foul on Bongi was a planned move just like the NZ master plan with Bryce Lawrence you kiwis are filthy fux perhaps try to play a cleaner game next time I doubt that’s possible tho but don’t worry world rugby is on yr side they trying to take away all the BOKS strengths to help all you weakling as Jeremy Clarkson would say LA OO ZA ERR..🤣
99 Go to commentsAbsolutely spot on Ben. I certainly wouldn't gloat over a win like that. Frustrating as it is it's done and dusted and history will forever show the result.
99 Go to commentsHo hum.
99 Go to commentsNo question they were the better team. But that is the beauty of sport isn’t it!
99 Go to commentsEveryone is into Hurling in Ireland according to Porter, but only 11 of Ireland's 32 counties enter a team into the national competition. Same old blarney.
1 Go to commentsLet’s be honest. The draw and scheduling in the World Cup was a joke but South Africa found a way after having to go the hard (nearly impossible) way to the Cup Final via France and England. NZ had a hard game against France (lost) and had 5 weeks to prepare for the Quarter, 3 weeks knowing it was Ireland. NZ theerfore had to win one big game against an Irish team who played SA and then Scotland 7 days before. They won and it was de facto a semi final because they were playing a relatively weak Argentina team and it was a walk over. In the final a very rested NZ team was playing a very tired SA team and still lost. They couldn’t score more than 11 points. Put another way SA had to find a way to win while tired and they achieved that. NZ should thank their lucky stars that they fixed the scheduling in 2015 otherwise they would be dealing with a Bok treble.
99 Go to commentsPerhaps if Bongi wasn’t targeted and removed from the game in the first 3 minutes it would have been quite a different game. Maybe if NZ also faced the same competition the Boks faced to their win NZ would have looked quite different. The final score shows who outplayed who.
99 Go to commentsRubbish article! Abuladze played most of Exeters matches when fit. He got injured against Glasgow a while ago and is out for the rest of the season, thats why he hasnt played for Exeter and Georgia recently. Do some proper research next time!
1 Go to commentsGotta love it when kids throw their toys out the pram and can’t hack it with the grown ups debate. Here’s looking at you turlough! 😉🤣
148 Go to commentsThey lost the game period move on
99 Go to commentsSpringboks won! Stop winging. You can change the game however much you and your rugby colonizing IRB want to and the Springboks will win you at that too. Your mind is colonized my friend get a life
99 Go to commentsBen, nobody gets fooled anymore by selective and biased data to support an hypothesis. Games are decided on such small margins these days that you win some and lose some, and dominance is a thing of the rugby past. Look at the RWC circle of fortune…. Ireland beats SA who beat France who beat NZ who beat Ireland. And so it goes on. Match officials help to eliminate real indiscretions. If they had been with us years before, no doubt results would have been different. Remember Andy Haden’s dive from a lineout in 1978 for which a match-wining penalty was awarded? Wales should have beaten the ABs that day. They took the loss like the gentlemen they were.
99 Go to commentsWith all the analysis and how good the all blacks were.The fundamental mistake with the ABs is that this is a test match and not an exhibition.There is no better team(country) in world rugby than the Boks that knows how to win a test match(we are post masters at this).We know our rules, we have the discipline, we tackle like beasts, we take our points and we never give up.I now have educated the ABs supporters(at least say thank you).Please stop “bitching” , accept what the outcome is and move along swiftly.
99 Go to commentsAnd they came from behind to win two big games before the final. No one can say what would have happened. Had the boks gone behind the game plan changes and the result may changes. Ifs and ands are irrelevant. The boks won. Neutral critics enjoyed the games they played. Its not a popularity contest. Get over it and move on.
99 Go to commentsI'm happy for the people of SA to get a second WC. And I mean that. I was very disappointed with this man's “stand on the hand” incident with Josh Van Der Flyer (Ireland). Ireland's downfall in the last WC was they did not rotate their first 15 as the head coach probably should have. That said, I'm happy for SA and genuinely hope it lifts the mood in their country. Ireland did beat them in the first match of the tournament. And before the trolls start trolling ….. please don't bother. Etzbeth said recently that the Irish players said after the match “see you in the final”…..this was actually wishing the SA team the best of luck in the rest, the Irish team were not dismissing the AB’s. This is what Etzbeth was implying. But he was wrong. I no longer live in Ireland. But I hope to see them lift that cup before I pass. Anyway, congratulations SA. 👍
12 Go to commentsMore bloody click bait. Dan Carter has said absolutely nothing. As he should do. Poor journalism again from a site that should know better
9 Go to commentsOh god please help these loosers get over it!!!! You lost. Doesn't matter how many times you dummies are gonna analyse the game, you still lost and we are still Rygby World Champions….get over it, you lost.
99 Go to commentsThe next Willie le Roux. SA are made not to use him.
3 Go to commentsDan has always been as controversial as tea with milk so we were never going to get any definitive answer. So DMac for the win.
9 Go to commentsGoodness. When are the All Blacks and New Zealand commentators going to stop complaining about how they could have won and just try to win next time 😂. In South Africa if you lose you get up and try again. Get over it.
99 Go to comments