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#Post#: 57773--------------------------------------------------
Owen Eastwood and Harlequins
DIR By: Quintron
Date: January 28, 2021, 3:34 pm
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Harlequins working with Gareth Southgate's 'right-hand man' and
culture guru
HTML https://www.telegraph.co.uk/rugby-union/2021/01/28/harlequins-working-gareth-southgates-right-hand-man-culture/?WT.mc_id=tmgliveapp_iosshare_AwnMpYDVYHLH
Harlequins have revealed they turned to Owen Eastwood, Gareth
Southgate’s “right-hand man”, who overhauled the culture of the
England football team, for guidance on all aspects of the club,
including the selection of a successor to head of rugby Paul
Gustard, who left his position last week.
It is understood that Eastwood has been working with Quins since
towards the end last season and will conclude his work in about
a month, with far-reaching recommendations on the direction the
club should take.
Billy Millard, Harlequins’ general manager, made it clear that
Eastwood had no say in Gustard’s departure but had been tasked
with examining all areas of the business, including commercial
areas such as identifying who Harlequins’ “tribe” of potential
new supporters could be in the crowded London sporting
marketplace.
“Owen’s approach is to eek out a unique identity of a club,”
said Millard, who coached with the Cardiff Blues, Connacht,
Melbourne Rebels and Australia Sevens.
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“I am really happy we got him because a lot of clubs and
organisations were chasing him and I think he knows the rich
history Harlequins have and he knows there is a great story and
identity.
“It is about underpinning everything we do with a deep sense of
purpose and identity, which falls into all our decision-making
around what type of people we need to make our environment
thrive. What is our playing identity? And who are our tribe?
“Owen talks a lot about who we represent and I think a lot of
clubs flow along and roughly know the answer to these things,
but he is working with the owners to give this traction and it
will outlast all of us.
“It will certainly help all the staff and playing group attach
to something bigger than what we have got now. We all believe
Quins has something pretty strong to attach to.”
New Zealander Eastwood has an impressive pedigree in working on
the cultures of organisations, and many credit him with having a
direct impact on the England footballers’ run to the semi-finals
of the World Cup in 2018, while strengthening their connection
with supporters.
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A solicitor by trade, Eastwood also spent nine years as a
consultant with the South African cricket team from 2010-19, as
well as shorter stints with organisations as diverse as
Manchester City, the Scottish Rugby Union, the Command Group of
Nato and the Royal Ballet School.
Eastwood has a previous connection to Quins, as he acted as
solicitor to former player Tom Williams in the fallout after the
“Bloodgate” scandal of 2009.
Millard, whose general manager role sits above that of a
traditional director of rugby, will oversee the team but leave
much of the day-to-day decision making to assistants Jerry
Flannery, Nick Evans and Adam Jones.
He has indicated that a new head coach could be appointed before
the end of this season, but the club were in no rush. “I am
certainly not going to be going in waving my hands around and
changing stuff, because these guys worked really hard under Paul
Gustard,” he said.
“To support them I am going to be in most meetings, on the
training paddock, so I can give them some feedback. If there are
any tough decisions to be made they will come to me. They have
been involved in selections and recruitment right from the get
go.”
#Post#: 57777--------------------------------------------------
Re: Owen Eastwood and Harlequins
DIR By: DOK
Date: January 28, 2021, 5:42 pm
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--- Quote ---
> Eastwood has a previous connection to Quins, as he acted as
solicitor to former player Tom Williams in the fallout after the
“Bloodgate” scandal of 2009.
--- End Quote ---
Then I can't see his main recommendation for improving the club
to be "get Deano back!" [emoji23]
#Post#: 57785--------------------------------------------------
Re: Owen Eastwood and Harlequins
DIR By: Albig
Date: January 29, 2021, 1:10 am
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There is no chance the club would go back to Deano.
#Post#: 57791--------------------------------------------------
Re: Owen Eastwood and Harlequins
DIR By: Dibden
Date: January 29, 2021, 2:49 am
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Why do we need an outside consultant to advise on who we are
,what is our identity what culture do we want?That is the job of
the CEO in any organisation surely.And why has his brief only
come out now months after he started?
What would sort Quins out quickest is to get the right culture
in the dressing room through the appointment of a strong minded
heavyweight coach like Pat Lam Deano Cockers or Diamond.
My happiest time at the Stoop was when we had Deano as DOR.I had
trust and confidence in him to take us forward which he did.
#Post#: 57792--------------------------------------------------
Re: Owen Eastwood and Harlequins
DIR By: poorfour
Date: January 29, 2021, 3:27 am
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--- Quote from: Dibden link ---
>
> Why do we need an outside consultant to advise on who we are
,what is our identity what culture do we want?That is the job of
the CEO in any organisation surely.And why has his brief only
come out now months after he started?
> What would sort Quins out quickest is to get the right culture
in the dressing room through the appointment of a strong minded
heavyweight coach like Pat Lam Deano Cockers or Diamond.
> My happiest time at the Stoop was when we had Deano as DOR.I
had trust and confidence in him to take us forward which he did.
>
--- End Quote ---
Did you also trust him to get us embroiled in a cheating scandal
that is still talked about a decade later? Is that the culture
you wanted for Quins?
I have a lot of time for Deano (and - not that it would happen -
would be happy to see him back here) but I would hardly hold him
up as a paragon of culture.
And that's the thing. Very few top level coaches and very few
CEOs are experts on culture, because they have generally reached
their position through technical expertise in a different area.
There are a couple of exceptions - the generation of coaches who
came through teaching, like Geech and Eddie, and Pat Lam seems
to have an excellent handle on it - but for the most part they
aren't specialists in the area.
Even those who are frequently seek outside help, for the simple
reason that you can't see what's going on outside your own
bubble. CEOs hire consultants - of any stripe - as much because
they need an independent view drawn from a wider range of
environments as because they need skills they don't have.
As the article points out, Eastwood is credited with having
turned around the culture of the England football team - who for
decades have massively underperformed versus the talent
available to them - and it's clear that after two DoRs in
succession have failed to turn us into a team who can sustain a
good run of games something similar is needed for Quins.
#Post#: 57798--------------------------------------------------
Re: Owen Eastwood and Harlequins
DIR By: Nico Wilson
Date: January 29, 2021, 4:10 am
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With hindsight, both JK and Gustard shouldn't have been
appointed.
I've seen a reference on another thread on this board that the
Club suffers from not having sufficient rugby experience on the
Board, and for this reason I'm pleased that the Board/Laurie has
decided to bring in an outside consultant.
If the consultant helps us avoid a hat trick of poor
appointments then that's a good thing.
#Post#: 57800--------------------------------------------------
Re: Owen Eastwood and Harlequins
DIR By: Quinten Poulsen
Date: January 29, 2021, 4:21 am
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--- Quote from: Albig link ---
>
> There is no chance the club would go back to Deano.
>
--- End Quote ---
And I think there's even less chance Deano would want to come
back.
#Post#: 57807--------------------------------------------------
Re: Owen Eastwood and Harlequins
DIR By: MadMax
Date: January 29, 2021, 5:23 am
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--- Quote from: Dibden link ---
>
> Why do we need an outside consultant to advise on who we are
,what is our identity what culture do we want?That is the job of
the CEO in any organisation surely.....
>
--- End Quote ---
I agree. All that should be already known. Where a consultant
can help is to provide assistance on how to develop that culture
and make it a success.
#Post#: 57809--------------------------------------------------
Re: Owen Eastwood and Harlequins
DIR By: SiB
Date: January 29, 2021, 5:40 am
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--- Quote from: Dibden link ---
>
> Why do we need an outside consultant to advise on who we are
,what is our identity what culture do we want?That is the job of
the CEO in any organisation surely.And why has his brief only
come out now months after he started?
> What would sort Quins out quickest is to get the right culture
in the dressing room through the appointment of a strong minded
heavyweight coach like Pat Lam Deano Cockers or Diamond.
> My happiest time at the Stoop was when we had Deano as DOR.I
had trust and confidence in him to take us forward which he did.
>
>
> In a lot of business reviews a set of eyes from outside the
organisation ask the best questions
>
--- End Quote ---
#Post#: 57844--------------------------------------------------
Re: Owen Eastwood and Harlequins
DIR By: Maggiephilquin
Date: January 29, 2021, 9:14 am
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As Owen Eastwood has been working with all levels of the club
over the last few months, I was wondering if he has engaged with
any elements of our fan base, as surely the 8k STHs who’ve been
part of this club for decades, are very much part of the culture
( good or bad). Has anyone on here been engaged, or know of
people who have ?
Owen - iff you’re reading this,I’d like to give you my input.
Local fan, home and away for 20 years, live the club.Drip me a
note.
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