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Robbie Deans, the former Australia head coach, is poised to join the Harlequins coaching ticket on a consultancy basis, Telegraph Sport understands.
Harlequins decided to commit to a root-and-branch review of their entire coaching structure after previous head coach Danny Wilson walked out of the club just days before the start of the domestic season to take up a role with Wales.
As part of the new set-up, Deans will be employed on a similar basis to Chris Boyd at Gloucester, as a wise old head to a young coaching team. He is likely to join on an initial 10-week deal, but that could become a rolling contract.
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Capturing Deans will be seen as a significant coup for Harlequins, who were previously linked with Scott Robertson and Dave Rennie – the former and current New Zealand head coaches.
Deans established one of the great Crusaders dynasties, winning five Super Rugby titles between 2000 and 2008. Long seen as the next All Blacks head coach in waiting, Deans instead took up the same role across the Tasman Sea with Australia. He guided them to 43 wins in 74 games and the Wallabies were frequently ranked as world’s second-best side before he resigned following the 2013 British and Irish Lions series.
Deans shakes Gatland's hand at end of 2013 Wallabies vs Lions series
Deans resigned as Australia head coach after defeat by Warren Gatland’s Lions in 2013 Credit: Jason O'Brien/Action Images
He then took up a role with Panasonic Wild Knights in Japan, who won four Top League titles, and helped recruit a series of All Black and Springbok internationals. He has also frequently accepted invitations to coach the Barbarians. Deans recently scaled back his commitments with the Wild Knights so he could spend more time with his family and helped groom Japanese coach Atsushi Kanazawa to be his successor.
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Deans’ wealth of experience and contacts will prove invaluable to what is likely to be a young Harlequins coaching group from next season. Australian Jason Gilmore has taken the reins from Wilson on an interim basis and is a hugely popular figure within the squad despite leading them to just two victories in Prem Rugby this season. The club are understood to be keen to retain Gilmore, who played an invaluable role in the recruitment of England full-back George Furbank from Northampton.
Jason Gilmore at Welford Road
Quins are keen on keeping popular interim head coach Jason Gilmore on the staff Credit: Cameron Smith/Getty Images
Former Harlequins coaches Nick Easter and Mark Mapletoft have also come under consideration but former All Black fly-half Nick Evans is unlikely to remain part of the team. Alan Dickens, who recently stepped down as head coach of Newcastle Red Bulls, could also come into the equation and has strong links with a number of Harlequins players from his time coaching England Under-20s.
The board, led by chief executive Laurie Dalrymple, is conscious of how crucial it is to get not just the right coaches in place but also the right structure. Since director of rugby Conor O’Shea left in 2016, John Kingston, Paul Gustard, Tabai Matson, Billy Millard, Wilson and Gilmore have all led the team at various points and that instability within the coaching set-up has led to the team’s under-delivering on the pitch. Despite winning the Premiership in 2021, when they ironically did not have a head coach, Quins have qualified for the play-offs only one other time in the past 10 years.
“To be honest, the reason we are having our current problems is because we have had a changeable head coach environment pretty consistently for too long now,” Dalrymple told Telegraph Sport in January.
“If you don’t have someone who can provide stability and a sustained and clear plan – in line with the identity of club and we are quite clear how we think we should and want to play – but it is entirely fair to say, if we don’t have a coach in situ who can deliver on that, then this equally feeds into your retention, your recruitment, your academy transition, your squad composition. All of those buckets feed off that critical appointment. For various reasons we have not that stability so we have to make sure we get this decision and this process absolutely correct regarding our long-term appointment decision.”
