Gustard’s side will host Sale at the Stoop on Aug 14 in what will be the first Premiership match since the league was suspended in mid-March
By
Kate Rowan
20 July 2020 • 10:00pm
Paul Gustard, the Harlequins head of rugby, has revealed he has been seeking advice from Chelsea head coach Frank Lampard in how to best prepare his players psychologically for playing behind closed doors when the Premiership Rugby season resumes.
Gustard’s side will host Sale Sharks at the Stoop on August 14 in what will be the first Premiership match since the league was suspended in mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Concerned with how his players would adapt to the empty stands, he explained he had sought out Lampard, whose team have won seven of the nine games they have played without crowds since football’s restart.
Their paths crossed when Gustard was asked by the Football Association to get involved with coach education last summer. Since then Lampard has attended with groups of coaches from Chelsea’s Cobham base to share ideas with Harlequins staff at their nearby Guildford training complex.
“I have been speaking to Frank Lampard about how these players are going to go into an environment they probably haven’t experienced since they were in school where there are no crowds” Gustard said.
“I wanted to know how his players responded; how they found playing in empty stadiums. I wanted to know, because the unknown can lead to uncertainty.”
Gustard also welcomed Sean Dyche, the Burnley manager, to Surrey earlier in the season and he keeps in regular contact with Michael Carrick, the Manchester United assistant coach.
Gustard’s philosophy in taking ideas from other sports is in the mould of Eddie Jones, the England head coach, who he worked under as defence coach. Jones has previously spoken to Roy Hodgson, the Crystal Palace manager, Olympic gold medal-winning hockey coach Danny Kerry and US collegiate basketball coaches.
From his conversation with Lampard, Gustard has realised the importance of preparing his players for their new match-day normal and will take them to train at the Stoop to get used to an empty stadium.
“We have to learn from other sports,” he said. “As Eddie [Jones] often says, with clarity you get confidence. So as coaches and players, it’s good for us to know and experience what we’re about to play.
“We train at Surrey Sports Park but we’ve lined up to go to the Stoop to basically train in an empty stadium, 15 against 15, to experience what it looks like, replicate match environments. If we can’t get a friendly opposition then we’ll go live against each other.”
Gustard is relieved to have 72-Test England veteran Mike Brown fit again after he missed the majority of the season dealing with a long-standing knee injury. The coach believes that for all his physical presence, Brown, along with other senior players such as former England captain Chris Robshaw, possess the required mind-set to thrive without the support of a crowd.
He said: “The likes of Mike Brown or Chris Robshaw will not shirk the responsibility to compete. You need those personality types that can be motivated where there are no mums and dads or girlfriends or mates. It has to come from inside you and I think that with Mike that is a real strength he has got that can add value to us.”
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