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#Post#: 147571--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Ruck podcast is up with CEO interview
DIR By: poorfour
Date: January 9, 2026, 6:30 am
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--- Quote from: MaidstoneQuin link ---
>
> LD is never going to sell anyone down the river or talk badly,
id probably ask something similar to:
>
>
> 1) You've referenced how our previous head coach positions
have not worked out. With the position the club is at now after
seasons upon seasons of failed appointments, do you first agree
it's important the successful candidate has a previous history
of being a head coach, and furthermore having had success
already in that role? And what ultimately are the qualifiers for
someone being offered the role in terms of what the club is
looking for?
>
> 2) It's clear the recruitment policy has been on the whole a
failed one over the last 2/3 seasons. We had some generational
talent in the likes of Andre and Collier who provided solid
platforms which led to success. Whilst we would struggle to get
direct replacements, can you explain the thought process behind
firstly not bringing another Centre in following the early
release of Andre, and then seemingly from a very early stage
last season finding Lennox was leaving, to then not replace him?
(As with all due respect to Northmore he isn't a 12, and Waghorn
is still developing)
>
--- End Quote ---
1) Since Mark Evans, we’ve had Deano, COS, JK, Gustard, Matson
and Wilson as permanent head coaches/DoRs. All of them except
Gustard had prior head coach experience. Most of them had had
some degree of success in their previous roles, though only
Deano had a stellar coaching career (but look how that turned
out). Only COS really left under totally positive personal
circumstances - after a successful run and to a clearly better
job. On that basis, and looking at who has and has not been
successful at other clubs, I’d say it’s not as simple as wanting
someone with experience and prior success. They have to be a fit
to the club, and for whatever reason Quins have struggled to
find that (but then so have plenty of other clubs)
2) Waghorn is young but he hasn’t looked out of place in the
starting XV, and I can’t remember him having a bad individual
performance (though he’s been part of some bad team
performances, like everyone else at Quins). The issue is that
he’s been injured for the first half of the season (as I think
have several of the other young centres). Injuries happen in
rugby. A few years ago it was our hookers; now it seem to be the
centres.
#Post#: 147577--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Ruck podcast is up with CEO interview
DIR By: T-Bone
Date: January 9, 2026, 7:22 am
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Yes, waghorn has been injured. But injuries happen so why on
earth would you go into a season with only one 12. It'd be
reckless to do that whether the 12 in question was estherhuizen
/ de Allende or a guy just breaking into the team.
There is no excuse for not having signed another 12, even if not
a world beater
#Post#: 147586--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Ruck podcast is up with CEO interview
DIR By: championes
Date: January 9, 2026, 8:38 am
---------------------------------------------------------
--- Quote from: never sleep link ---
>
> May I suggest that if you are to want questions answering,
then you should at least ask a question that can be answered.
> E.g. There is no way that any business will tell people that a
contract is to be terminated before they spoken to the lawyers
and the parties on the contract.
> Also - speculating on first choice DOR. Why would any company
publicly say who they want to employ. This would mean that their
agent could ask for an unreasonable amount of money. etc, etc.
>
--- End Quote ---
No you’ve misunderstood, those are questions for that person who
just comes on here to post that everyone should be sacked now
from the CEO down.
I’m keen to hear his vision for the club once everyone is
sacked.
People as into rugby as them are bound to have a good knowledge
of who they’d like to run the team and which players should come
in etc
The alternative would make them appear rather silly and childish
so since that’s highly unlikely,
I’m really keen to hear their take on the future.
#Post#: 147607--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Ruck podcast is up with CEO interview
DIR By: poorfour
Date: January 9, 2026, 2:35 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
--- Quote from: T-Bone link ---
>
> Yes, waghorn has been injured. But injuries happen so why on
earth would you go into a season with only one 12. It'd be
reckless to do that whether the 12 in question was estherhuizen
/ de Allende or a guy just breaking into the team.
>
> There is no excuse for not having signed another 12, even if
not a world beater
>
--- End Quote ---
The squad centres are listed as Beard, Benson, Bradley, Hyde,
Kerr, Murley, Northmore and Waghorn. If you leave out Murley and
Beard, that’s still 6 players who have started at inside centre,
albeit with varying degree of success. The issue has been that
they’ve pretty much all been injured at various points in the
season so no one has been able to string together a run of
games. The closest has been Northmore, who was beginning to look
more comfortable in the role at about the point the wheels fell
off for the team as a whole.
The “excuse” such as it is, is that we’re trying to reduce the
squad size while having a set of young centres who the club
presumably expect to be capable of starting given the time
coupled with injuries to most of them.
#Post#: 147609--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Ruck podcast is up with CEO interview
DIR By: JammyGit
Date: January 9, 2026, 4:20 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
--- Quote from: poorfour link ---
>
>
> The squad centres are listed as Beard, Benson, Bradley, Hyde,
Kerr, Murley, Northmore and Waghorn. If you leave out Murley and
Beard, that’s still 6 players who have started at inside centre,
albeit with varying degree of success. The issue has been that
they’ve pretty much all been injured at various points in the
season so no one has been able to string together a run of
games. The closest has been Northmore, who was beginning to look
more comfortable in the role at about the point the wheels fell
off for the team as a whole.
>
> The “excuse” such as it is, is that we’re trying to reduce the
squad size while having a set of young centres who the club
presumably expect to be capable of starting given the time
coupled with injuries to most of them.
>
--- End Quote ---
I think it's fair to say "only one 12" when the alternatives
are:
Beard - a 13 / wing who has never started at 12
Benson - a fly half who has 4 career starts at 12 at any level
post-school, 1 for us in the 4 years prior to this season
Bradley - a guy who until now has been the invisible man for
Quins, having never started a match in the Prem or CC for us
before this season
Hyde - a wing / 13 who in 60 appearances for London Scottish and
Quins has started at 12 twice, both 3 seasons ago
Kerr - an U20s 12 (in the 2023/24 season) who Quins and Scottish
repeatedly picked as a 13 and had made one start at 12 last
season vs 7 at 13
Northmore - a man with 93 Quins caps and 2 England caps (both as
a 13) with the overwhelming majority of starts as a 13, and
could charitably be described as an emergency 12 in the absence
of a real option, but who at least has plenty of experience
there now (mostly experience of losing - Quins lost 7 of the 10
matches he started at 12 last season and drew another)
Murley - a winger with one start at 13.
So at a stretch you could say two twelves - one actual 12
(Waghorn) who is extremely young and needs careful management as
a result, and a 13/wing who's been shoehorned there to very
little success. Claiming the rest all have starts there is
really missing the point. This is not a defendable position to
take (mirroring what we're seeing on the pitch really)
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