DIR Return Create A Forum - Home
---------------------------------------------------------
ComeAllWithin (Harlequins Rugby)
HTML https://comeallwithin.createaforum.com
---------------------------------------------------------
*****************************************************
DIR Return to: ComeAllWithin Board
*****************************************************
#Post#: 151524--------------------------------------------------
Quins Confirm Key Coaching Appointments
By: WellingQuin Date: March 24, 2026, 5:04 am
---------------------------------------------------------
HTML https://www.quins.co.uk/article/harlequins-confirms-key-coaching-appointments
Harlequins is pleased to announce three significant appointments
to its rugby programme for 2026/27. Robbie Deans is appointed
Performance Director, Jason Gilmore Head Coach and Rob Hunter
Forwards Coach.
All three appointments are the result of a thorough recruitment
process and will strengthen our rugby performance programme to
deliver sustained success on our ambition to compete at the
highest level.
Deans joins Harlequins following a varied and successful career,
both as a player and as a coach, and is renowned as one of the
game's sharpest rugby minds. At an international level, he was
the All Blacks’ Assistant Coach and was the Wallabies’ first
non-Australian Head Coach. At Club level, he led the Crusaders
to five Super Rugby titles as Head Coach, and more recently won
five Japanese national titles with the Saitama Panasonic Wild
Knights.
Deans will join the Board of Harlequins as Performance Director,
initially until the end of the 2027/28 season. He will take a
holistic view of the programme and work closely with Head Coach
Jason Gilmore and General Manager Andrew Sanger MBE to create an
environment for long-term success in all departments across our
performance programme, with a focus on playing identity, talent
development and club culture.
Set to visit Harlequins for a period in April 2026 prior to
starting in July 2026, Deans will spend extended periods here in
the UK at critical points throughout the season. He will be
fully involved in the Harlequins rugby programme and will be
engaged with us when not physically in the UK.
We are delighted that Robbie has agreed to join us and welcome
the extensive experience and insights he brings with him.
On his appointment, Deans said: “Harlequins is a proud club with
a strong history and it is a privilege to be asked to contribute
towards the future. There are many good people within their
ranks and I look forward to working with them.”
Jason Gilmore has been appointed Head Coach of Harlequins, after
serving as Senior Coach on an interim basis since taking charge
of the programme, at very short notice, at the start of the
2025/26 season. Gilmore originally joined Harlequins in 2024 as
Defence Coach before stepping up to Senior Coach. Jason will now
build on the work he has started across the rugby programme over
the past eight months.
Gilmore has previous Head Coach experience, having led Australia
A, Australia Under-20s and the Barbarians as well as holding the
roles of Head Coach, Assistant Coach and Defence Coach at the
NSW Waratahs and Queensland Reds.
“I am genuinely excited about the challenge ahead and what we
can achieve at Harlequins,” said Gilmore.
“This is a Club with a proud identity and history built on
playing ambitious, exciting rugby whilst challenging convention.
Our job now is to reconnect with those foundations and rebuild a
style of play that both reflects who we are and makes our
supporters proud.
“There’s a significant amount of work to be done, but that’s
what makes this such an exciting opportunity. We’re committed to
building the right environment, the right standards, and the
right squad to take this Club forward.
“Having Robbie come on board is such a positive addition to our
Club. The guidance and support he will provide me personally as
well as our coaching and playing group will be invaluable.
“To our supporters, we genuinely appreciate the backing we’ve
received through a tough year. We’ll need that continued
support, because returning Harlequins to where it belongs will
take a collective effort - but it’s one we’re fully committed
to.”
Rob Hunter will join Harlequins as Forwards Coach in July 2026.
The former Exeter Chiefs Forwards and Head Coach will bring with
him a wealth of experience accumulated over more than a decade
with the Chiefs.
He joined the Chiefs in 2013 and played an instrumental role in
some of the club's most celebrated moments including five PREM
finals and two league titles. The crowning achievement of his
time with the Chiefs came in 2020, when his meticulous work with
their forwards helped Exeter complete a historic double, lifting
both the PREM and European Champions Cup titles in the same
season.
At Harlequins, Hunter will look to bring that same culture of
physicality, discipline and individual development to a forward
pack with enormous potential.
“I’m absolutely delighted to be joining Harlequins - it’s a club
with such a rich history and identity,” said Hunter. “Harlequins
has the perfect DNA for the modern game. The foundations are
here and that genuinely excites me. Of course, there's real work
ahead to bring all of that together and I’m looking forward to
working with the coaching team to do that.
“I’m coming back into the PREM refreshed and hungry to make a
difference - not just for the club, but for the whole Quins
community. I can't wait to get started and meet the players,
staff and supporters who make the Club what it is.”
On these three key appointments, Harlequins Chief Executive
Laurie Dalrymple said: "Robbie brings over 25 years of elite
level coaching experience and a proven track record of building
sustained success. He played an integral role in establishing
the foundations of the Crusaders' dominance in Super Rugby, has
operated successfully at international level and, most recently,
built the Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights in Japan from the
ground up. We are looking to his experience, aligned with Jason,
who has been in the club for the past two seasons, that will be
fundamental to driving an improvement in our on-field
performances next season. Looking further ahead, Robbie is a
specialist in high-performance strategy and structure required
for long-term success and we believe he, alongside Jason as Head
Coach, can make a lasting impact on our environment and results.
“At Harlequins, he will take a holistic view of the programme to
ensure we are set up for long-term success alongside and
mentoring the coaching group, supporting players individually as
required, and acting as a check and challenge to both the board
and coaching team. We are also fully aligned on the key pillars
of a successful high-performance environment - developing a
clear playing style aligned with the Club’s DNA, nurturing
homegrown talent, and building a strong culture and sense of
connection within the environment.
“Jason is someone we see as having all the credentials to lead
our coaching group and playing squad for the long-term. He has
worked tremendously hard under challenging circumstances this
season and he possesses a high rugby IQ, a strong understanding
of the Harlequins identity, and has built a positive culture
within the first team group. We’re focused on providing him with
the support for success both now and in the seasons ahead and we
will continue to review the performance programme. We are also
actively seeking an Assistant Defence Coach to bolster his
coaching group and allow Jason to focus on leading the squad,
with support from Robbie and Andrew Sanger MBE.
“In Rob, we are recruiting a coach with exceptional experience,
and he is a proven winner. The titles won at Exeter speak for
themselves. We believe he is going to help maximise the ability
and robustness of our pack and give us the platform to play the
style of rugby synonymous with Harlequins. He has also
previously been involved in the England pathway, so he has a
real eye for talent. Rob will work closely with Matt Ferguson
and Adam Jones to develop the promising young forwards coming
through our player pathway."
#Post#: 151526--------------------------------------------------
Re: Quins Confirm Key Coaching Appointments
By: noah_jo Date: March 24, 2026, 5:04 am
---------------------------------------------------------
"Jason will now build on the work he has started across the
rugby programme over the past eight months."
Do we want that?
#Post#: 151527--------------------------------------------------
Re: Quins Confirm Key Coaching Appointments
By: Rocker Date: March 24, 2026, 5:10 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Bye Bye Quins.... It's been nice knowing you.
Will we rise like a phoenix from the ashes when (not if I
suspect) this move goes whatsits up?
Or is it too late?
What a stunningly poor look.
A man who has been responsible for some of the worst
performances I've seen from Quins, including when ME was double
hatting and JK's brief reign.
Mention of Adam Jones staying, but nothing on the backs? Is NEv
off?
#Post#: 151529--------------------------------------------------
Re: Quins Confirm Key Coaching Appointments
By: FrostAndFire Date: March 24, 2026, 5:15 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Okay. Not inspiring, but it's what we've got.
Charitably, I'll say that Gilmore was handed a plate of
something I'm not allowed to say on this board. He didn't get to
recruit the players he wanted nor the coaching staff he wanted.
He inherited it at the last moment. So, he now has to the end of
the season to sort things out and he gets judged on next season.
I am yet to be convinced, because Quins' issues seem to be as
much mental as anything else, so who is going to actually fix
that?
#Post#: 151534--------------------------------------------------
Re: Quins Confirm Key Coaching Appointments
By: Rugbycat Date: March 24, 2026, 5:19 am
---------------------------------------------------------
What has he done, except take us from a poor side to a very poor
side, we had better develop our own talent, because no decent
players will consider joining.
I really think that the owners should look to sell the club to
someone with more ambition.
#Post#: 151535--------------------------------------------------
Re: Quins Confirm Key Coaching Appointments
By: Rocker Date: March 24, 2026, 5:21 am
---------------------------------------------------------
F&F
I respect your charity but that is not really an acceptable
conclusion from Quins.
No DOR/Head Coach ever gets to totally pick the team and coaches
they want unless they've been there for years or a starting with
a blank sheet, and even then.
I'd agree that the biggest problem does seem to be mental but I
also think our tactics are rubbish. Is the mentality bad because
the tactics are rubbish or are the tactics not working because
the mentality isn't right?
RC
I'm not sure it's the owners skimping, I think it's a problem in
the set up putting better candidates off.
#Post#: 151536--------------------------------------------------
Re: Quins Confirm Key Coaching Appointments
By: JammyGit Date: March 24, 2026, 5:21 am
---------------------------------------------------------
The only good bit of news in that lot is that Robbie Deans is a
longer term appointment than we feared. You have to work very
hard to find the positives in the rest, though.
#Post#: 151537--------------------------------------------------
Re: Quins Confirm Key Coaching Appointments
By: DOK Date: March 24, 2026, 5:23 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Ho hum! Seen it all before. Made the mistake of getting excited
by the people coming in and the difference they were going to
make. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me!
#Post#: 151542--------------------------------------------------
Re: Quins Confirm Key Coaching Appointments
By: championes Date: March 24, 2026, 5:26 am
---------------------------------------------------------
I’ve always been positive about Laurie and the broader club off
the pitch - no more sadly.
We are in serious trouble - and this is really really
underwhelming.
So Deans will indeed be spending a lot of time on the other side
of the planet - and we’ve given the head coach job to someone
who has totally failed to stop us being terrible - and in fact
we’ve got worse.
Won’t ever give up my season ticket but..yuck.
#Post#: 151545--------------------------------------------------
Re: Quins Confirm Key Coaching Appointments
By: Iamsnakes Date: March 24, 2026, 5:29 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Oh dear.
The rumours were true.
All we can do now is hope for the best and get behind our club
COYQ
*****************************************************
DIR Next Page