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Wounded Harlequins view Anthony Joshua as ideal inspiration for hitting back at Ulster
Paul Gustard is urging his Harlequins players to use Anthony Joshua’s world boxing title triumph to inspire them to victory over Ulster next Friday and keep their Heineken Champions Cup campaign alive.
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Harlequins have to bounce back just six days after their debilitating late 25-24 loss to Ulster in Belfast and Quins boss Gustard has shown his squad Joshua’s post-fight interview as an example of how to gain revenge for a narrow loss.
Joshua defeated Andy Ruiz Jr last Saturday to regain the heavyweight world title belts he lost to the same fighter and Gustard believes the motivation that underpinned that win is very relevant heading into the return European fixture with Ulster at the Twickenham Stoop.
After a late John Cooney penalty won the game for Ulster, Gustard and his players watched the Joshua fight live on TV in Belfast and he then used the video of the post-fight interview in a team meeting back at their Surrey training base.
“We have taken a lot of inspiration from Joshua-Ruiz, in particular his post-fight interview when he talked about learning from the first fight, staying humble and learning the lessons having failed the first exam,” said Gustard, the former England defence coach, to RugbyPass.
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“He had good preparation, belief in himself, control of his discipline and emotions and he executed what the coaches asked him to do.
“Those four or five key learnings we showed to the squad and this is our second exam against Ulster and we have a great opportunity to get the result that we want and stay alive in the competition.
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“As the saying, goes, it’s not over until the fat lady sings and we have three chances to get three wins (in the pool) and give ourselves an opportunity to progress. As a squad, we had a few beers on Saturday night and watched the Joshua-Ruiz fight because we wanted the boys to have a memory of Belfast and it was a great place to visit.
‘I always wanted to try being a head coach and give it a go, but I was never tripping over myself to do it’
– @dan10mcfarland talks to @heagneyl about @UlsterRugby, @JCooney09, @ChampionsCup and the arrival on Saturday of @Harlequins at the Kingspanhttps://t.co/GVa10gOMX9— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) December 7, 2019
“On Sunday, I saw a video of Joshua’s post-fight interview and that is what I showed the squad. Joshua talked about where his mindset was and how he dusted himself down from the first loss and how he looked at himself rather than the opposition.
“The analogy very simple to see – he fought he same guy twice and we get the chance to play the same opposition six days later and take the learnings from our game which could be opportunities in attack, frailties in defence or set-piece and middle-game management.
“We have identified the critical ones and that is the basis of our game plan that we are working on this week. There is limited time to prepare and we need to focus on the two or three things we can fix.”
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Surgery is set to rule Brown out for six to nine months. https://t.co/3dwsPmrFHS
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) December 2, 2019
Gustard is finding himself having to deal with questions about player contracts at this crucial time of the year, but he insists he is not going to enter into any more public discussions or concentrate on individual players.
England prop Kyle Sinckler is reportedly a target for Bristol while highly-rated flanker Alex Dombrandt is in negotiations for a new Quins contract with Quins.
Gustard said: “Everyone wants to talk about three or four players but I have X-amount of players off contract and to highlight three or four is unfair on the other players and their negotiations. We have decided as a club not to talk about it.”
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Comments on RugbyPass
Loose forwards always look good going forward and winning. It’s the same loose forwards for the Crusaders and the Canes this year as last year. Too much of the shiny new things getting noticed here while older consistent ones getting bagged. It’s early days. Calm the farm.
4 Go to commentsThanks Nick, and on the money. We tend to be apathetic until something REALLY BAD happens, then we aren't! At least this applies to the Reb players and coach, if not the spectators. They seem to be getting very quick ball at times. Have they altered something, or is it just all of the skills coming together at the right time? It seems almost the opposite of the Reds, who started the season with quick ball, but haven't been showing that in the last 3 losing games. Is it attitude (McDermott hasn't looked “right” to me for 3 weeks), or something else?
9 Go to commentsGood summary. As said, Sevu Reece has been electrifying for the Crusaders. Great try and he has been everywhere. Amazing he is now equal with Caleb Ralph , club record of 52 tries for the Crusaders. That record beckons. Good to see Dallas McLeod getting regular starts at last. A big few weeks are ahead.
4 Go to commentsGood article/interview.As was said Christian Lio-Willie was barnstorming when he came on for the Crusaders. What happened at the end, self-explanatory.Captain fantastic Scott Barrett is due back soon as well, once they are back from Aussie. Great to see Ethan Blackadder back last week.
1 Go to commentsYou must have been watching one team, Andrew - and even then you missed the brightest star in the Chiefs pack - Naitoa Ah Kuoi, 2 turnovers, genuine line-out presence and grunt around the field, and the soft hands of a back.
4 Go to commentsHaha what a crock of sh!t these headlines are. Moorby’s best year was that first. Still doesn’t seem to have the same game about him as when he was fresh but has bounced back well this season to be playing consistent tight accurate footy
1 Go to commentsIt’s even dumber than Bernard Foley not kicking the penalty to touch in the Melbourne Bledisloe in 2022.
2 Go to commentsYes, they are traveling well but it’s early days. The Chiefs were in front with 20 to go while they snatched a last minute win v the Reds. Keep calm.
1 Go to commentsThe failure of the Irish system / rugby playing style to produce their own backs has them looking elsewhere for innovation and flair - not that Jordie has much flair. He’s a converted fullback. The Canes have plenty of other younger options.
9 Go to comments1.Watch Wallace Sititi be the wild card AB. A genuine full time no 8 2. Luke J like Sotutu has not delivered. 3. Chiefs have all the right cattle but badly miss the leadership of Webber. LJ is about as unconvincing as Sam Cane when under the pump. They had the winning of that game in the second half then fell apart.
4 Go to commentsYes the Rebels are showing signs of life because they are literally playing for their live -lihoods and thanks to their Australian attack coach. However they are still playing an essentially dull boring south african style for the rest of the time. And Geoff Parling must be the most useless lineout coach ever. Worse than Steve Hansen even. Interestingly we are starting to see more cheap shots and attempts to get away with cheating by Australian players, now they are being influenced by Joe Schmidt. It was exactly the same when Rennie started out as Wallaby coach and thru his tenure. Trying to teach Australians to play like kiwis doesn’t work, as the last 20 years has conclusively demonstrated. Especially when we are not as good at it as kiwis. Which of course is the whole idea …..
9 Go to commentsGreat signing, not sure where he’ll fit in though. As for him ‘playing alongside RG Snyman, that’s highly debatable given the likelyhood that the latter will spend most of the season on sick leave.
9 Go to commentsWowee!
9 Go to commentsEvery team that has played a game in Africa this Champions Cup season is already out of the competition - including the SA teams. Could be a concidence.
30 Go to commentsthat should offer some experiences for Jordie.
9 Go to commentsJust remember: He is not a winger. Took Ian Foster 2 years to figure that out.
9 Go to commentsExcellent article, Nick. We (your RP colleague Brett McKay and my 8/9 Combo cohost), are going to have LSL on our podcast later this month. He has shown consistent excellence as a leader and lock. I’ll chat with you offline about a line of questioning if you have time. H
9 Go to commentsSo no Irish fan or journalist suggested JGP was as good as DuPont. Then even the guy who supposedly did is from Wales and said JGP would be the best around if it was t for DuPont. Right, so what is this story about again
17 Go to commentsGreat news for the URC. Leinster will always attract top talent. Another huge name added to their stable
9 Go to commentsWhen you look at Australian Rugby you can see the talent coming through. There’s young players everywhere. They have the makings of a strong Wallaby team for years to come if they trust their young players. There might be some short term pain but after 30 or 40 caps together a Wallaby group comprised of the current youngsters will really be top class. It seems like the threat of going under has focused the Rebels both on and off the field. They are having a go like a team with nothing to lose and winning back the fans whilst silencing their detractors. Its funny how an existential threat can spur a team on to new highs. Taking rugby back to the communities will help to build support and create a true team for the community and one rooted into it. It may just work and save the Rebels and if they can get the financing then maybe let them have a go at reinvention. I do feel though that Australian Rugby has one too many franchises. If the Rebels die all these solid young players get infused into other franchises who will have more money, depth and resources. It would make the Australian Rugby franchises so much stronger and they may come to achieve parity with the best franchises from NZ. Super Rugby is throwing up some really entertaining games. Not too much good defence but certainly high pace, try scoring magic on display. Melbourne are no exception to this.
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