Harlequins keen to evolve ahead of Premiership title defence
Harlequins head coach Tabai Matson admits making big changes at the club is going to be difficult following their recent Premiership title success.
Matson comes into the Stoop outfit on the back of an impressive 2020/21 campaign and has already praised the senior squad members for wanting more.
Harlequins were a joy to watch last season with their high-octane style seeing them defeat Bristol Bears and Exeter Chiefs on their path to eventual glory.
But there’s also a realisation born out of a disappointing aftermath to the side’s only previous Premiership title win in 2012 that in order to stay ahead of the competition they must not stand still and that is going to be a gradual process as the season approaches.
No going under the radar
“It’s tough to make any type of change because humans don’t like change, especially when you’ve had success,” said Matson, who arrived as senior coach five weeks ago.
“But one thing is clear and that’s that we are really lucky to have Danny Care, Nick Evans and Joe Marler, who were all here in 2012. The one thing they keep bringing up is ‘we didn’t move on in 2013’.
“We thought that we could just roll out the same package and see what happens. They have been the main drivers in saying that if we don’t move we will get run over.
“Every team will have improved. Saracens have come back into the league. Exeter will be fuming, as will Bristol.
“This year there’s no going under the radar, no ambushing teams. And there’s a firm crosshair on Harlequins.”
Quins were transformed when boss Paul Gustard was sacked in January, an act that was followed by a dramatic climb up the table despite the absence of a head coach.
Matson, a former All Black with a lengthy coaching CV including spells in New Zealand and the Premiership as well as international experience, has filled the void to oversee assistants Nick Evans, Adam Jones, Jerry Flannery and Charlie Mulchrone.
It has been made clear to Matson by the club’s hierarchy that the team must retain the swashbuckling approach that thrilled audiences, most notably against Bristol and Exeter who were stunned in the play-off and final.
However, there is an understanding that even Quins might have to surrender to conditions during certain stages of the season.
Matson said: “It was one of the key remits when I was selected. I was really impressed that they were really clear on their identity and the way they wanted to succeed.
“The semi-final and the final last season were two of the greatest games I have ever seen full stop and the antithesis was seven weeks later when we saw the Test series between South Africa and the British and Irish Lions.
“People want to see a positive style of play but when it gets a bit gloomy in December we’ve got to be pragmatic.
“If you’re going to be successful your programme has to evolve into a try scoring machine as you head into the play-offs. Do they have the capabilities to do that again? Yes, they do.
“One of the things Quins did so well is they were good across the park. Joe Marler had a phenomenal year. Up front, where teams have often tested Quins in the past, they were solid as a rock.
“The line-out was number two in the competition, so a lot of the bits you need to be successful in the Premiership were right there.
“You think about the counter-attack and the turnover play but the Premiership is pretty pragmatic, especially when you get to December and January.
“That’s probably where you add value and for me it’s about making sure we are doing a lot of the things that made us successful last year.”
Danny Care in favour of World 12s tournament
Meanwhile, Care is in favour of the new World 12s tournament scheduled to launch in 2022 in the belief it could be the spark needed to improve rugby as a spectacle.
The Harlequins and ex-England scrum-half was an influential figure as his club lit up the Premiership last season with a thrilling attacking style that swept them all the way to the title.
Just weeks after Quins had stormed Twickenham in swashbuckling fashion, the British and Irish Lions and Springboks fought out a dour three-Test series in South Africa that was a hard watch even for purists.
It is hoped that the World 12s, a competition that has similarities to cricket’s Indian Premier League, will attract new fans by having fewer players on the pitch – 12 on each side – using adapted laws designed to speed up play in games that last only 30 minutes.