What Jason Gilmore admits to telling Quins stars ahead of Champions Cup KO

Jason Gilmore admits that this week, he allowed his Harlequins players to dream of what glory in the Champions Cup could look like before focusing their minds on the task in hand against Gallagher PREM rivals Sale Sharks.

Quins will entertain the Sharks for a place in the quarter-finals on a high after beating Bristol Bears in Cardiff last weekend, and are set to welcome back talisman Marcus Smith after a mandatory rest following the Six Nations.

Gilmore, who was recently announced as Quins’ permanent head coach, says it was only right to allow the players to think about potential glory and winning some silverware.

“You only get a certain amount of chances to win trophies at this level, and I just want to remind the boys of what we’ve actually worked hard for as we’ve put ourselves into a position in a difficult competition, and it’s not going to be easy.

“Don’t get me wrong, Sale is the first hurdle, but you’ve got to dream big, right?

Head-to-Head

Last 5 Meetings

Wins

1

Draws

0

Wins

4

Average Points scored

25

28

First try wins

40%

Home team wins

80%

“Sport’s a funny thing. You never know what can happen in it. I don’t think it’s a bad thing to let our minds wander a little bit earlier in the week before we got back on the tools,” he said.

Gilmore says he has noticed, over the last couple of seasons, a difference in the atmosphere at the club before European matches, and Quins, who have struggled in the PREM, haven’t had such problems in the Champions Cup.

“Coming in last year, you noticed a different vibe in the boys as soon as Europe rolled around. It’s a competition that they love playing in. They had some massive victories two years ago, one in Bordeaux obviously sticks out.

“The boys just love playing knockout rugby. We’ve put ourselves into a good place with a home playoff, so we just have to take advantage of that as well as what we can. It’s jeopardy, isn’t it?

“There are no second chances anymore. The boys are aware of what we’re playing for, but look, Sale aren’t going to roll over. They’re a really physical team, George Ford back at 10. We know what we’re up against.

“But we’ve had some great results. Bayonne was a club record in terms of the score. The Stormers’ game at home was good. La Rochelle, probably no one really gave us a chance over there, and we tipped the pool on its head a little bit with that result.”