MTM9: Evs and Deano on the Guinness A League
By Prof
July 28 2006
In this ninth report from the Quinssa Meet The Management Evening Dean Richards and Mark Evans discuss all aspects of the Guinness A League.
Q: What are your views on the Guinness A League, in light of it being a week when we fielded four on loan players from Esher [against Bath]?
DR: I think it’s absolutely brilliant, I really do. I think that it’s great for Harlequins that we’re a part of it, we were lucky to a degree because we dropped down. It gives a huge amount of our players the chance to play at a level that they really need to. I appreciate that we fielded four from Esher this week and that we have had to play a reserve tight head now and again. When you talk about James Ingliss, George Robson and the youngsters who haven’t had a look in in the firsts at this moment in time, they are playing in equally tough rugby in the Guinness A League. I think it is the right standard for a lot of our youngsters, just look at Saracens playing seven internationals in their pack.
Q: Don’t you think that having Taine Randell playing in the A League obscene really?
DR: Sometimes needs must, if they are trying to get back in to winning ways and trying to get some rhythm back into their side you have to accept that. Think of what it must been like for the youngsters they played against [at Wasps] it’s a great opportunity for them, I’d have loved to have played against them. It certainly gives you the chance to sort out the wheat from the chaff, I’d have loved to have put some of our boys up against Taine Randell and all their other boys without a doubt!
ME: The fact that Dean had picked the team he did against Doncaster to a degree determined who we could play on the Monday, you can’t ask people to play two games in 48 hours. Although we had to but needs must. So that was always going to be one of our weakest A teams. Traditionally I think we have run out A Team, and we continue to do so, we’ve run it as a genuine second team, we haven’t run it as a youth team or a development side. If you’re in the twos you play on the Monday and I think that’s right. Occasionally if you rotate on the Saturday you’re going to weaken the team on the Monday and that’s just the way it is. I have more of a problem with the clubs who never ever take it seriously. The irony is that last year we had an issue with Saracens because they put such a crap team in. Now they’ve gone to the other extreme, you never know with that lot [laughs].
DR: And London Irish the week before.
ME: Yes, London Irish the week before was a joke, as people know I am a bit of an obsessive about the game but I walked out at half time, I’ve never walked out before, even if I’m at an under 8s game I’ll stay until the end. I just didn’t think they’d put out a competitive team, and at the end of the day it’s all about competition. I don’t get a great deal of enjoyment watching us beat a side that I didn’t think were good enough, they could have put a much better team out.
Q: What, not even Irish?
ME: No, not even the Irish [laughs]
DR: London Irish had seven Esher players starting for them and I spoke to Mike Schmid, their coach, before hand and he didn’t even know they were playing and he was rather ‘miffed’ as I would have been!
ME: I think generally it’s a great competition I just wish people would always use it properly. Bath brought up a side last year or the year before and we beat them 72-3, that was a waste of time, we learnt absolutely nothing about our players because it just simply wasn’t a good enough contest.
Q: What did you learn about our players from this Monday’s game [Bath]?
ME: A huge amount, you have to look at the opposition for a start they had Hudson in the second row, two good hookers in Brooker and Hawkins, Malone at fly half, Walshe at scrum half, a centre in the National Academy, they brought what I would say is an excellent team. It really tested our boys, I think they showed a huge amount of spirit to come back in those last ten or fifteen minutes, that’s what pleased me the most. There are certain guys who played extremely well – Luke Sherriff at inside centre in the last five minutes!! [laughs]
Q: Will you be playing him there in the first team?
DR: No! [laughs]
The spirit shown the boys was great, they were up against it. They gave away two or three easy tries, but to come back and lose by only three points showed great spirit. We even had a chance of winning too if Vassy hadn’t kicked the ball away and we’d retained it we would have been in with a shout.
Q: Do you think the referee on Monday came from the Bath area? [laughs]
DR: I think it’s a great proving ground for the referees, the teams in the Premiership are always looking for quality referees and these A League games are great matches indeed and they really do test the referees. I think there’s probably far more rugby played in these A League games than there are in Premiership matches, but probably not to the same intensity. As much as we criticise the referees and some times we’ll think ‘what a prat, why’s he done that’ you’ve got to take your hat off to them. They are often travelling long distances, many of these guys are amateurs as well, they are not full time, so they are putting themselves out and they only get a small fee. They get abused too by the coaches and supporters alike.
ME: You’ve changed because you’ve been in France for a year. [laughs]
DR: You don’t insult the referee over there you pay them before the game in France [laughs]. And if you think I’m joking… [more laughs]
So I think the A League is great not just for the players and the referees too, it’s a stepping stone for them up into the Premiership too.
In the next part we’ll hear about Mark and Dean’s views of the link up with the London Broncos/Harlequins RL.