Harlequins have installed a 6ft 3in model bear in their headquarters in a bid to create a new era of aggressive defence, Demetri Catrakilis has revealed.
Fly-half Catrakilis has lifted the lid on new head of rugby Paul Gustard’s latest maverick coaching method.
Gustard’s first big left-field coaching brainchild was Saracens’ ‘Wolfpack’ defensive system, which at one point saw him take a real wolf to training.
The 42-year-old has been coy about some of his more obscure plans, but South African playmaker Catrakilis has shone some light on another of Gustard’s novel techniques.
Gallagher Premiership new boys Bristol have added the Bears moniker to their official club name – and now Harlequins have installed the species as their very own spirit animal.
Asked if Gustard had employed any weird and wonderful methods yet, Catrakilis replied: “There is a bear. There is a massive bear in our team room.
“It looks real – but it hasn’t moved yet. That is going be the basis of how we defend – to be like bears.
Harlequins fly-half Demetri Catrakilis has lifted the lid on new director of rugby Paul Gustard’s maverick coaching methods.
“It is nice to use as an analogy, to think of yourself as a superior animal, so that is what he has chosen. Bears are so dominant – we want to be dominant ourselves, we want to make sure we are going forwards and they are going backwards.”
Asked how Gustard unveiled Quins’ newest recruit, Catrakilis said: “There was a curtain over something in the corner.
“I was wondering, ‘what the hell is this?’ I was waiting for someone to come out of the back. I was thinking, ‘I don’t know if it is real, it might be. How big is it?’
“It is massive – about 6ft 3in. I haven’t gone too close to it. It looks like a real bear. It’s a brown bear.”
Harlequins leaked an average 22 points per game en route to a 10th-placed finish in last term’s Premiership, leading to John Kingston leaving the club.
“He has brought a lot of good defensive systems to our game, which is what we needed; so the holes we did have in our game, he is filling,” said Catrakilis, of Gustard.
“I don’t think our culture was bad at all (last year). He might add a little to it, but what he does bring is his knowledge of the game.”
Forward-thinking Gustard has wasted no time in stamping his approach all over the Twickenham outfit.
The former Newcastle, London Irish and Saracens flanker has rebranded Quins’ replacements as “game changers”, and has defended that switch following a quizzical social media response.
Gustard explained he wanted to redefine the role of players who take a seat on the bench, insisting the role is every bit as important as those in the starting XV.
Harlequins’ mascots are bears, including Harley Bear and Charley Bear.
“Why do they have to be called substitutes, why do they have to be called reserves, or replacements?” said Gustard.
“Why can’t we call them something different? We want them to come on and impact the game.
“Somebody somewhere called them substitutes, someone came up with that definition.
“But we’ve given our players the definition of what we want from them, and that’s it.
“For me it’s quite simple, we want them to do something. They are not a substitute, they are coming on to change the game, finish the game, close the game – have an impact.
“And I want these guys to believe in themselves and what they can do.
“I don’t see a big drama about it. Someone wanted to call them reserves, so be it. I might find that funny.”
