Jason Gilmore press conference | Bristol Bears v Harlequins

Jason Gilmore met the media for the first time since being appointed Harlequins Head Coach on a permanent basis as he previewed Saturday’s Gallagher PREM clash versus Bristol Bears.

The Head Coach covered:

• Ambitions for his tenure
• Appointments and future impact of Robbie Deans and Rob Hunter
• What he wants to implement moving forward
• Desire to shift the mindset within the Club
• Earning the right to play the Quins way

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:00

Hi there Jason, how are you doing?

SPEAKER_04 0:01

Good yourself.

SPEAKER_03 0:02

Yeah, good. Congratulations on confirmation of the appointment.

SPEAKER_04 0:05

Thank you, appreciate it.

SPEAKER_03 0:07

I just wondered, yeah, if you talk us through the process, how it worked. Was it a case of them coming to you and saying we want you to continue with reconsider it? Did you re-interview? Like, did you have to set out your plans for longer term? Like, how did it work?

SPEAKER_04 0:22

Yeah, yeah, I was asked to um present a plan, obviously, over the next period of time on um what I think the club needs uh to be um successful again, um, and more importantly, from my point of view, um, sustained success. Um, I think how we got a great opportunity in the next 18 months to um really build some strong foundations um across all areas of the rugby program just to make sure that we don't get a spike and then we drop back down again um for for a period of time. So um, yeah, a fair bit of work went into it. There's a lot of work to be done ahead of us. Um uh but I think there's a great opportunity for the club um to establish ourselves.

SPEAKER_03 1:06

Cool. And when you mentioned 18 months, is that the sort of time frame you're looking at? How the contract works?

SPEAKER_04 1:11

Oh look, it's um you know, it's it's probably the the build will be across a three-year period. Um whether that comes quicker, uh I think will depend on how successful we are in the next 12 months and how we build the program. Um so I'd like to think, you know, we we keep our our good players on the park for a little bit longer. Um, we we build a strong staff group and um playing group across the next um two cycles, in particular with the playing group. Um I'm really confident that we can bring this club back quicker rather than later.

SPEAKER_03 1:47

And in that sort of process, did you say where you want to see the team in a year's time, in two years' time, have you got sort of benchmarks you want to hit and be judged by?

SPEAKER_04 1:57

Yeah, we've definitely got goals that we we want to achieve because then we can make staff accountable to them and the boys and how we build the squad to what we know will win games in this league and in Europe in particular is really important. Um, you know, you only have to look at the likes of Northampton and Exeter last year, um, who are towards the bottom, and and they've bounced back, you know, um really quick in 12 months. So I think if you get the ingredients right, um you can bounce back quicker rather than later. But um I'm gonna make sure we don't skip steps to do that though, um, because under pressure that's where things fall apart. So we've got to make sure that we're smart with it, we're ambitious, um, we don't want to be waiting five years or four years for the club to win something. Um, so we're definitely gonna be aggressive with it, um, but we're gonna be smart with how we do it.

SPEAKER_03 2:51

And I was just trying to untangle your two CBs, but how well do you know Robbie Deans? Like, have your paths crossed in the past? Like, yeah, what's your relationship like before this?

SPEAKER_04 3:01

Yeah, a little bit. I was in the Reds when uh Robbie was Wallaby's coach. Um, so we had a bit of interaction back then. Um, when I was at the Waratars, our head coach was Rob Penny, who's who's a Canterbury man. Um, so during that COVID period we did a lot of zooms and that type of thing, and and we did that with Robbie as well. So um I've met him a few times, I've spoken with him about rugby a few times, so I'm really excited by it.

SPEAKER_03 3:30

And you kind of you kind of mentioned the zooms there. Just how much do you know how much time Robbie's gonna be on the ground in in London, how much time you're gonna be sort of done virtually, and yeah, what challenges do you think that might pose?

SPEAKER_04 3:43

Uh he'll he'll be on ground for 12 weeks per season. Um so that will be uh that will be really helpful in terms of the face-to-face aspect with the with the staff and the players as well. Um obviously with Zoom and and the like now. Um we'll be in regular contact each week when he's uh when he's not in the UK. Um and also when I get back to Australia, he's obviously based in Sydney. So when I get back to Australia, I'll be able to catch up with him in those periods as well.

SPEAKER_03 4:14

And those 12 weeks, are they gonna are you gonna spread those throughout the area at a particular time you want him there on the boots on the ground?

SPEAKER_04 4:20

Yeah, we'll obviously get cracking on that in terms of the plan in the in the next couple of weeks as to what the split-ups are. Are they two-week periods? Is it three weeks at the start of the preseason? So um look, he'll be up this way in the next couple of weeks, and and we'll be sitting down to plan all of that out.

SPEAKER_03 4:37

But and just lastly, for me on Rob Hunter, they went extra at their best under him, they were sort of not the antithesis of Quinn's, but they were like a real grizzled hard team up front. Is do you want a bit of that DNA to sort of mesh into the into the Quinn's the Quinn's ethos?

SPEAKER_04 4:55

I do, yeah. Um and I think when you look when Quinns were successful in winning titles, um, they probably had the best tight five in the league. So for Harlequins to be themselves, it's not a case of you've got all these flashy backs and back rails and that type of stuff. At the end of the day, you need a tight five. Um so if we want to play how we want to play, that's definitely a targeted area within our team that I'm looking at. And um, you know, with Rob's coaching expertise and experience and success that he's had, particularly with Exeter, obviously, um, I think that's a win-win for us. Cheers, Jason, thanks a lot. Thanks, Mike.

SPEAKER_00 5:33

Hey uh Jason, it's uh Dan Skeffer from Telegraph. How are you?

SPEAKER_04 5:36

Good, Dan yourself.

SPEAKER_00 5:37

Yeah, very well, thank you, and congratulations on the appointment. Can you maybe explain how certain things are going to work in the new structure, particularly like recruitment? Well obviously Robbie's got a wealth of contacts he can call upon, but how who's normally in charge of uh bringing players in?

SPEAKER_04 5:56

Yeah, so we've got Ed Ed Spokes, who's our recruitment manager, um leads us in that space. Um, myself, Andy Sanger, the general manager, and Robbie um will be the ones uh that will be looking at at the recruitment.

SPEAKER_00 6:10

And I I think you you've announced James Dunn, is is that right? Uh will there be more signings announced over the course of the next few weeks?

SPEAKER_04 6:20

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 6:22

And I mean I imagine Robbie's um is is probably too late to impact this recruitment cycle, but what what sort of um with his network, what what will that enable Quinn's potentially to do in future seasons?

SPEAKER_04 6:39

I I think it just his network is the number one. I think the people that he knows, um, players that he's coached before, um, access points that he's got around the globe. Um our recruitment we've really uh looked to sharpen it up this year, leading into next year, but the next two cycles are crucial for us because if you miss a recruitment cycle, it'll put you back two seasons in that position that you're looking at. So um I think what Robbie will give us is uh a wider range um of opinion on players, hopefully greater access into world-class players because anyone that we bring into the building's got to be done with a purpose. So I definitely think Robbie uh will be able to provide that for us.

SPEAKER_00 7:18

And can I ask, I know you you got this role at relatively short notice, well obviously but with a full pre-season, what do you think a Jason Gilmore side looks like next season in an ideal world?

SPEAKER_04 7:37

Yeah, um I'm really looking forward to the pre-season to actually put my imprint on them um a little bit more long term. But um with the ball, I I definitely want us um to be explosive. I want us to be able to play fast. Um I want us to have a high level of rugby IQ in terms of how we play. Um, because as we know, when it hits the winter months and and the weather changes, you can't just play one style as well. So that would be an area that I'm keen to really push us and almost reconnect back with our identity as well. But when I say that, it you know, we we need to have the right cattle as well. We've got to have a tight five that can lay a platform for us to play that way. Um, as I said earlier, we I want us to be able to compete, I want us to be hungry in every game that we can be in. Um to do that, you need your best players on the park. Um, this year, you know, the facts are facts, we just haven't had enough of our good players on the field out of the injury room, which has really hampered us in crucial stages. So that resilience resilience and robustness of our squad. Um, I want to see us take a step forward in that, so we've got our best players throughout the season to be able to pick.

SPEAKER_00 8:51

Obviously, the results have been disappointing and supporters faith is definitely wobbling. What would you say to them to say that you are the right man to sort of lead this club to better days?

SPEAKER_04 9:06

Yeah, I've been through this before. I've experienced it. I I know what it takes to rebuild a club, to reset it. Um I feel I've got the experience and understand uh our club at Harlequins as well. I think I can mesh the two together and I'll be really clear in terms of the management of the staff, our recruitment of players that we need into the building to win games of rugby. Um I feel that's a strength of mine. Um and I'm I believe firmly with the right people in the right seats um we can turn this around. Um, and like I said, turn it around quicker rather than later as well. Um, in terms of the fans, their support for the club this year's been outstanding. I I totally understand the disappointment. We're all feeling it. Um we see it, we understand it. Um, and we're working really hard at the moment behind the scenes, but we just need a little bit of a runway into next year just to reset a few things within the rugby program, our staff group, our playing group, um, just to set us on the right course. But what I want to do is just keep layering on and keep building um across the months rather than we kind of go one way and then we jagg back the other, um, which the club's probably been guilty of a little bit in the last period of time. Um, but I I definitely know where to put this club.

SPEAKER_00 10:26

Thanks for your time, Jason, and congratulations again.

SPEAKER_04 10:28

Thanks, Dan.

SPEAKER_00 10:32

Hi, Jason.

SPEAKER_04 10:33

Hi Neil, how are you?

SPEAKER_02 10:34

Not too bad, mate. How are you? Yeah, well, thank you. How much of a coup is it to get somebody or for Quinn to be able to attract somebody like Robbie Dings? Of obviously, he's coached within the All Blacks. He was Wallaby's head coach for however long, and he's coached in Japan for 11, 12 years.

SPEAKER_04 10:59

Yeah, it's massive Russ. He'd be one of the leading coaches in the world. Um, his experience and coaching on a number of levels, like for me personally, it'll be outstanding. Um, someone that I can lean on, bounce off, um, be challenged by, help put the best program together for Harlequins here. That's why we've brought him in. Um, he's a brilliant man. I think he'll suit Harlequins down to the ground in terms of how we want to play the environment that we've got here at the club. So I think his personality and skill set will match the club well. And I think it's just a good shot in the arm for the players as well. Like when Robbie will be in town to have someone like him on the pitch with us in and around the boys, um, you know, someone for Smithy to be able to bounce off and discuss his progression as a player as well. So I think there's a number of different areas that Robbie will be able to bring to the table, but um it's uh it's a massive positive for us.

SPEAKER_02 11:56

Um yeah, well, if the players said about it to you, especially uh, yeah, especially Marcus, as you said, he'll he'll probably benefit the most from that, won't he?

SPEAKER_04 12:06

Yeah, definitely. And um look, we've we've got a really curious group in terms of learning, so no doubt the boys will be proactive in um engaging with Robbie, and Robbie will be the same with them. Um obviously the announcements only just dropped um today, so I've had a few brief chats um with the boys, but um there's genuine genuine excitement around Robbie coming in.

SPEAKER_02 12:28

Has Marcus been disappointed with the way that it's gone for him personally this season because he's been in and out of the England set up and he probably hasn't been as influential for you as he has been in the past.

SPEAKER_04 12:45

Yeah, probably for us, it's um you know, I've been saying all year Marcus plays better when our team plays better. Now, he's the man in the hot seat, he's the one that gets paid um, you know, big dollars to be our number one man. Um, but I feel when Smithy's at his best is when our team performs as well. It's it's got to be both ways. Now, what we expect performance out of Marcus, no doubt. Um, and you look at the games we've won this year, he's cleaned up men of the match awards in every game. So his effort and performance um I feel has probably been a little bit overshadowed with the team results. Um, I think he's been at every game, I think he's played some brilliant games. He's probably had a couple where he's been a little bit frustrated, no doubt, but he wouldn't be the only one.

SPEAKER_02 13:28

Does he feel the pressure of it, do you think? That he's the main man and he almost takes it upon himself to make everybody else play better, whereas it should be some of the other way around, really, shouldn't it? Players should be taking the pressure off him.

SPEAKER_04 13:43

Yeah, I I don't think I don't think it bothers him. He's definitely aware of his responsibility as our 10, as most tens at every club is. He's he's in such a pivotal position, he's got such an influence on our group. Um, so he's definitely aware of it. Um, he's probably been more frustrated. You know, he's a competitor, he wants to win games, so if we're not winning games, um he's gonna be frustrated, and I wouldn't expect anything less from a man like like Marcus. But um, you know, he's he's getting older now, he's maturing, um, he's developing patience. Uh, some of the games he's played this year, you know, like the Saris game that we won at the stoop, like his game management, his kicking game, and that one was probably different to how Marcus has played previously, and and that was his call in terms of how he wanted to play that game. So I definitely think he's developing with it.

SPEAKER_02 14:33

And he should be back this weekend, I guess. And uh there's no better team to go out and play well against, is there, in Bristol Bears.

SPEAKER_04 14:42

Yeah, it'll it'll be a good occasion, obviously. Principality, it's their big game, so there'll be plenty of hype around the game, and and our boys are excited about it.

SPEAKER_02 14:51

You can go down and crash the party, can't you?

SPEAKER_04 14:54

That's yeah, well, that's the plan. That's the plan.

SPEAKER_02 14:58

Okay, but thank you very much. Thanks.

SPEAKER_04 15:03

Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 15:05

Hi, Jason.

SPEAKER_04 15:06

Hey Paul, how are you?

SPEAKER_01 15:08

I'm good, thanks, you're well done on the uh on the job.

SPEAKER_04 15:11

Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 15:11

I mean I mean, one thing about Robbie Deans, he knows what it takes to win things. Well, he had five or six super rugby titles with the Crusaders.

SPEAKER_04 15:18

Yeah, and he's probably had just the same at Panasonic as well.

SPEAKER_01 15:21

So I think they they played in a pretty similar way to to Quinton, and they give give it a good grip.

SPEAKER_04 15:27

Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_01 15:28

I mean, just it's um you know, we're talking about putting in the blocks now ahead of ahead of preseason. Does that make the sale game next week really important of view? Because if you can win that, progress through the Champions Cup, it gives you something to really hold on to.

SPEAKER_04 15:41

It does. It's almost like a grand final approach for us next week. Um, you know, we've worked pretty hard through Europe to get a home playoff. Um so we know that we'll get you know a packed out soup. The boys are really excited for it. We're obviously not getting ahead of ourselves. We've got uh a really stern test this week against Bristol, but um look, this club's built on getting excited to play in the European game, so I know the boys will get up for it, so it'll be uh it'll it'll be a really enjoyable week.

SPEAKER_01 16:07

Yeah, and um you know the last couple of years, I mean best performances have been in the Champions Cup.

SPEAKER_04 16:11

Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 16:12

This season you won the Larry Shell.

SPEAKER_04 16:14

That's right.

SPEAKER_01 16:15

Um just to pinch back a little bit, Jason, with your sort of defence coach add on. Is that the most demanding position on the management team now, in charge of defence?

SPEAKER_04 16:26

Uh it is when you're doing the senior coach role as well. Um you know, it's there's not too many hours left in the day after those two. Um yeah, it's like Harlequin's obviously it's known as an all-out attack club, but what I would say is from from the day I landed last season, um, the boys have really embraced um the defence, the system that we've brought in, and we had a pretty sound year last year. I've probably been disappointed this year that you know, in in certain games we've really let ourselves down. We've worked really hard during this Premier Cup block to get back to how we were last year. Um, but there's definitely, you know, our boys get excited by using the the ball. Um so we've just got to make sure that we've got just as much pride with our defence to get the ball back, so then we do what we're good at, which is attack.

SPEAKER_01 17:14

Yeah, because it just seems, I mean, look at the end of the sixth mission, 50, 40, 48, 46. It just seems that the way the game is at the moment, there's a sort of more more things working for attack than than than for defenses. I mean, it would still be sort of a really good defence and ship five or six trows.

SPEAKER_04 17:31

Yeah, and I think look, uh, as a defence case, you're not wanting those score lines, but for the good of the game, um, you you want people entertained as well. So, you know, even in rugby league, rugby union, um they always want the attack to be slightly ahead of the defence because that's what makes it exciting as well. Um, you know, the way the breakdowns refereed generally it goes more to the attack team than the defense team. Um you go to Scrum, if a Scrum goes down at a 50-50, it'll go to the attack team. Um, and look, probably rightly so for the for the betterment of our game. But um, you know, certainly probably in the last five years you've seen more of an increase in average points scored per game.

SPEAKER_01 18:14

Oh, massive. I mean, you know, when bonus points were brought in, they you know that they had had a sort of rarity value. Now, I think I I won't do that. I think of the 60 Prem games this season, only eight haven't produced at least one bonus point.

SPEAKER_04 18:28

Yeah, right. Yeah, that that doesn't surprise me. And and particularly this season, we probably haven't had the weather that we had last year either. It's probably been a little bit drier, um, and that certainly makes a difference.

SPEAKER_01 18:37

Yeah. And and you know, on this with Africa, the four World Cups, they've all been sort of based on that on their defence. I think they've conceded one try and four finals, two tries and four semifinals. Do you think that will be enough for them next year, Jason, the way the game is now? Or will I mean that they they've shown they can attack as well and under Razzie, but will they will will that approach get them as far in the next World Cup?

SPEAKER_04 19:03

Yeah, I I think it will because that's what they've been built on. That's you know, since day dot of the Springboks, they're big men, um, they're aggressive, uh, they love collision, they love set piece, that's what they're good at. So I don't think you're going to see a massive change. Tony Brown going in there, they're also starting to use the ball a little bit more positively. But if you've seen in previous World Cups, if they've dropped games or haven't played well, they've just reverted back to type and gone back to their forward pack and their kicking game. So I I think when you've got men that big in your forward pack, um big centres, um, you've got your Pollards that can kick the ball a mile, um, you know, you you'd probably be mad not to back that that style for Springboks.

SPEAKER_01 19:44

I guess they did it in in in Europe too, didn't they, Ireland? They just sort of bullied them and and and in France with 14 men they were just too powerful.

SPEAKER_04 19:52

Yeah, it suits them. It suits them.

SPEAKER_01 19:54

But for for for clubs you know, as as a defence club, how how do you you you what what is what what is a good outcome for you these days, Jason, in in terms of defence, given that you know there is there's so much more attacking playing.

SPEAKER_04 20:10

Yeah, I I think if you can keep teams to 22 points and below, I think that's the figure. Um, because if you're doing that, um, as you said, because points are going up, you should be scoring four tries a game in most games. So that gives you your bonus point. Um if you're 22 points or below, you're keeping opposition teams to three tries, so you're denying them a bonus point. Um so that that's kind of the figure that uh that I work off.

SPEAKER_01 20:33

Yeah, and lastly, going back to that that gloss again what you're talking about, so the type five set pieces, I mean they were costly in that game, wasn't it?

SPEAKER_04 20:41

Yeah, yeah, it was um I I thought we're in good control. They they obviously squeezed us, particularly in that second half with scrum. Um, you know, they went to line out mall heavy. Um, we were probably guilty of turning the ball over a little bit easy at times, um, which then just kind of gave them the scrum. They get scrum pin, then they go to line out more, and then they really squeezed us with that. We struggled to get the ball um in that last 20-minute period to exert any pressure on them.