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'I'm embarrassed': Paul Gustard's damning verdict after Harlequins' first-half no-show at Worcester

(Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

The bus journey home to London from Worcester must have been uncomfortable for Harlequins players following their public dressing down by coach Paul Gustard in the wake of their 29-14 Gallagher Premiership defeat at Sixways. Harlequins would have resumed the league post-lockdown with hopes of working their way into the end-of-season play-off picture, an ambition further stoked by their restart win over Sale at The Stoop. 

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However, brittleness on the road has since undermined them, Gustard’s team following up last Saturday’s  38-24 defeat at London rivals Saracens with a first-half no-show at Worcester where they conceded 26 unanswered points. 

The ramifications of the defeats are obvious on the Premiership table – Harlequins are cut adrift in seventh place, their 32-point haul well short of Bath on 44 who currently occupy the fourth and final play-off spot.     

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Harlequins are back in action on Sunday when they host Northampton, another team whose post-lockdown results haven’t been impressive, and it will be interesting to see if the stinging words from Gustard in the wake of Worcester get the necessary reaction from his players.

Following the defeat the ex-England assistant let loose, saying: “I’m embarrassed. We never saw that coming. That’s not to say we are an arrogant team and we think that we are going to dominate teams physically.

https://twitter.com/Harlequins/status/1298925485729214464

“But the team that we picked, we didn’t think we picked people that were going to get steamrollered, but that’s exactly what happened. Our general play in the first half, we got bullied when we carried the ball.

“We lost 25 per cent of our lineout ball, and the story of the game was that we never got a foothold in it because we didn’t control any territory. If you can’t function in the set-piece in rugby, it is a very tough game to play.

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“Everyone is hurting. That first 40 minutes is one of the lowest points of my coaching career. We never got to fire a shot, we were on the back foot all the time. It was a sobering 40 minutes for sure.”

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BH 1 hour ago
TJ Perenara clarifies reference to the Treaty in All Blacks' Haka

Nope you're both wrong. Absolutely 100% wrong. You two obviously know nothing about NZ history, or the Treaty which already gives non-Māori "equal" rights. You are ignorant to what the Crown have already done to Māori. I've read it multiple times, attended the magnificent hikoi and witnessed a beautiful moment of Māori and non-Māori coming together in a show of unity against xenophobia and a tiny minority party trying to change a constitutional binding agreement between the Crown and Māori. The Crown have hundreds of years of experience of whitewashing our culture, trying to remove the language and and take away land and water rights that were ours but got stolen from. Māori already do not have equal rights in all of the stats - health, education, crime, etc. The Treaty is a binding constitutional document that upholds Māori rights and little Seymour doesn't like that. Apparently he's not even a Māori anyway as his tribes can't find his family tree connection LOL!!!


Seymour thinks he can change it because he's a tiny little worm with small man syndrome who represents the ugly side of NZ. The ugly side that wants all Māori to behave, don't be "radical" or "woke", and just put on a little dance for a show. But oh no they can't stand up for themselves against oppression with a bill that is a waste of time and money that wants to cause further division in their own indigenous country.


Wake up to yourselves. You can't pick and choose what parts of Māori culture you want and don't want when it suits you. If sport and politics don't mix then why did John Key do the 3 way handshake at the RWC 2011 final ceremony? Why is baldhead Luxon at ABs games promoting himself? The 1980s apartheid tour was a key example of sports and politics mixing together. This is the same kaupapa. You two sound like you support apartheid.

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