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A fan of the Harlequins Rugby Union team since his schooldays Michel was invited to meet the players and train with the squad at their home ground in Twickenham
R
ugby has long been a popular sport in Britain, ever since it originated in England during the 19th century. Many believe the game began in 1823 when William Webb Ellis, a student at Rugby School in Warwickshire, caught the ball during a football match and ran with it.
84 MICHEL ROUX JR’s SEASONS
However, there are claims that Webb Ellis was simply demonstrating the ancient Irish game of ‘caid’ which was similar to rugby. Up until the 1870s, football and rugby were very similar, with each school developing its own rules. In 1871 the Rugby Football Union was formed, enforcing a set of common laws for the game. The popularity of
the game has increased ever since its beginning. Michel says, “It’s the fact that you can come with the family and you can have a great day out without any animosity or worrying about possible problems with fans, it’s just a great day out with a great atmosphere that’s fun for everybody. And you see some great sportsmen on show.”
HARLEQUINS MICHEL ROUX JR’s SEASONS
A new club The Harlequins were founded in 1866 and were initially known as the Hampstead Football Club. In 1870 their name had to be changed due to them having to move out of Hampstead so, legend has it, a meeting was held in which a dictionary was produced. The HFC initials had to stand so
every word beginning with the letter H was gone through until the reader reached Harlequin. All those present were in agreement that the new name had been found. The original move out of Hampstead was a sign of things to come; for the first 40 years of the new club’s existence they were constantly
moving, playing at a total of 15 venues. However, since 1909 the club have only played at three. In 1963 the Harlequins managed to acquire 14 acres of athletics ground in Twickenham, which was situated just over the road from the Rugby Football Union (RFU) stadium. This new acquisition, known as the Stoop Memorial
MICHEL ROUX JR’s SEASONS 85
“I’ve supported the Quins ever since I can remember. I was drawn to them because I used to play rugby for my school round the corner from here.” Ground, went on to become the Quins’ permanent home. In 2005 this was renamed the Twickenham Stoop. “I come here as often as I can and I’ve got two season tickets, which I share with members of my staff,’ says Michel. “We’ve got a few rugby fans at Le Gavroche so they’re quite sought after.” The stadium was named after Adrian Dura Stoop who played for the Quins 182 times between 1901 and 1939, captained the team for eight years, became the honorary secretary for 28 years and went on to become the president between 1920 and 1949. He also went on to win 15 caps for England and was even hailed as the man who developed the modern back play. Standing pitchside Michel is in a reflective mood, “I’ve supported the Quins ever since I can remember. I was drawn to them because I used to play rugby for my school round the corner from here. As a kid they also had a great kit, which really stood out. The Quins have a long history and they
86 MICHEL ROUX JR’s SEASONS
HARLEQUINS MICHEL ROUX JR’s SEASONS
Conor O’Shea, Director of Rugby YOU HAVE BEEN WITH THE HARLEQUINS ALMOST A YEAR NOW, HOW HAVE YOU FOUND IT? It’s a fabulous club. It’s great to be able to show Michel what a really good, young group of players that we have here. They’re very ambitious and I’ve felt welcomed by the whole group, so it’s been fun to say the least. WAS IT DAUNTING REPLACING DEAN RICHARDS? No, not at all. Sport in general has plenty of new faces all the time so you kind of get used to it, it’s the environment you’re working in and I was excited to join. WAS IT TOUGH PREPARING THE PLAYERS FOR THEIR GAMES BECAUSE THEY HAD GONE FOR SO LONG WITHOUT A DIRECTOR OF RUGBY? No, I really don’t do a huge amount. The players are the ones that play and at the end of the day we have a really good coaching staff here: John Kingston, Tony Diprose, Collin Osborne, so they get on with it. We just hopefully create an environment that will allow them to be the best that they can be and then we’re happy. WHAT DO YOU THINK IT IS ABOUT RUGBY THAT MAKES IT SO POPULAR WITH FANS? I think it’s the mix of the physicality together with the family environment. You go to any match and you’ve got home and away supporters mixed together and players that are approachable even though they are professionals, and there’s a unique bond in that way. They’re not untouchables and that’s certainly something that we want to promote here; it’s the old amateur ethos in a professional environment. THIS SUMMER YOU’VE RECRUITED OLLIE SMITH, MAURIE FA’ASAVALU AND SOME YOUNGER STARS (JOE GRAY, TOM CASSON, BENJAMIN URDAPILLETA AND DAVE MOORE). WHAT DO YOU THINK THEY CAN BRING TO THE TEAM? I think it’s important that you always have a little bit of freshness and energy in a squad. Ollie and Mo [laughs] – it’s easier to say Mo – bring that experience with them, while people like Benjamin Urdapilleta, David Moore, Joe Gray and Tom Casson are exciting talents for the long-term. We’re not only looking at the here and now, but also keeping our eye on the future. WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO ACHIEVE THIS SEASON? It’s easy to say you want to win every competition but we want to be better people, better players, and create a really good culture here. If we perform to our best in every game then we’ll see what comes of it. Ideally the minimum for everyone involved with the team is to be back in the Heineken Cup, but we’ll see where the season takes us.
MICHEL ROUX JR’s SEASONS 87
HARLEQUINS MICHEL ROUX JR’s SEASONS
do an incredible amount for families that promote kids rugby, there’s a great feel to the club.” In their history the club have won the RFU Clubs knockout competition twice: the John Player Cup was won in 1988 and the Pilkington Cup was achieved in 1991. The club also played in the 1992, 1993 and 2001 finals, and in 2001 the Quins became the first British side ever to win the European Shield. Then in 2004 they went one step further to become the first side to win the tournament twice.
Player power Over the years the Quins have had some legends of the game don their kit and represent the club. Michel remembers some of the famous names, “There’ve been so many iconic rugby players that have played for them. Jason Leonard, Keith Wood. Even Will Carling played here.” With the current squad Michel is convinced that the club have the right blend of players to be pushing for success come the end of the season. “At the moment they’ve got Danny Care as well as some great youngsters coming through, like Joe Marler. They’ll be up there, at the top.” So what are Michel’s predictions for this season? “I’m very confident that the team will be in the playoffs at the end of the season. They had an unfortunate start to the season where they lost some games that they shouldn’t have lost, but I think they’re clicking and getting into gear now.” •
A fan of the Harlequins Rugby Union team since his schooldays Michel was invited to meet the players and train with the squad at their home ground in Twickenham
R
ugby has long been a popular sport in Britain, ever since it originated in England during the 19th century. Many believe the game began in 1823 when William Webb Ellis, a student at Rugby School in Warwickshire, caught the ball during a football match and ran with it.
84 MICHEL ROUX JR’s SEASONS
However, there are claims that Webb Ellis was simply demonstrating the ancient Irish game of ‘caid’ which was similar to rugby. Up until the 1870s, football and rugby were very similar, with each school developing its own rules. In 1871 the Rugby Football Union was formed, enforcing a set of common laws for the game. The popularity of
the game has increased ever since its beginning. Michel says, “It’s the fact that you can come with the family and you can have a great day out without any animosity or worrying about possible problems with fans, it’s just a great day out with a great atmosphere that’s fun for everybody. And you see some great sportsmen on show.”
HARLEQUINS MICHEL ROUX JR’s SEASONS
A new club The Harlequins were founded in 1866 and were initially known as the Hampstead Football Club. In 1870 their name had to be changed due to them having to move out of Hampstead so, legend has it, a meeting was held in which a dictionary was produced. The HFC initials had to stand so
every word beginning with the letter H was gone through until the reader reached Harlequin. All those present were in agreement that the new name had been found. The original move out of Hampstead was a sign of things to come; for the first 40 years of the new club’s existence they were constantly
moving, playing at a total of 15 venues. However, since 1909 the club have only played at three. In 1963 the Harlequins managed to acquire 14 acres of athletics ground in Twickenham, which was situated just over the road from the Rugby Football Union (RFU) stadium. This new acquisition, known as the Stoop Memorial
MICHEL ROUX JR’s SEASONS 85
“I’ve supported the Quins ever since I can remember. I was drawn to them because I used to play rugby for my school round the corner from here.” Ground, went on to become the Quins’ permanent home. In 2005 this was renamed the Twickenham Stoop. “I come here as often as I can and I’ve got two season tickets, which I share with members of my staff,’ says Michel. “We’ve got a few rugby fans at Le Gavroche so they’re quite sought after.” The stadium was named after Adrian Dura Stoop who played for the Quins 182 times between 1901 and 1939, captained the team for eight years, became the honorary secretary for 28 years and went on to become the president between 1920 and 1949. He also went on to win 15 caps for England and was even hailed as the man who developed the modern back play. Standing pitchside Michel is in a reflective mood, “I’ve supported the Quins ever since I can remember. I was drawn to them because I used to play rugby for my school round the corner from here. As a kid they also had a great kit, which really stood out. The Quins have a long history and they
86 MICHEL ROUX JR’s SEASONS
HARLEQUINS MICHEL ROUX JR’s SEASONS
Conor O’Shea, Director of Rugby YOU HAVE BEEN WITH THE HARLEQUINS ALMOST A YEAR NOW, HOW HAVE YOU FOUND IT? It’s a fabulous club. It’s great to be able to show Michel what a really good, young group of players that we have here. They’re very ambitious and I’ve felt welcomed by the whole group, so it’s been fun to say the least. WAS IT DAUNTING REPLACING DEAN RICHARDS? No, not at all. Sport in general has plenty of new faces all the time so you kind of get used to it, it’s the environment you’re working in and I was excited to join. WAS IT TOUGH PREPARING THE PLAYERS FOR THEIR GAMES BECAUSE THEY HAD GONE FOR SO LONG WITHOUT A DIRECTOR OF RUGBY? No, I really don’t do a huge amount. The players are the ones that play and at the end of the day we have a really good coaching staff here: John Kingston, Tony Diprose, Collin Osborne, so they get on with it. We just hopefully create an environment that will allow them to be the best that they can be and then we’re happy. WHAT DO YOU THINK IT IS ABOUT RUGBY THAT MAKES IT SO POPULAR WITH FANS? I think it’s the mix of the physicality together with the family environment. You go to any match and you’ve got home and away supporters mixed together and players that are approachable even though they are professionals, and there’s a unique bond in that way. They’re not untouchables and that’s certainly something that we want to promote here; it’s the old amateur ethos in a professional environment. THIS SUMMER YOU’VE RECRUITED OLLIE SMITH, MAURIE FA’ASAVALU AND SOME YOUNGER STARS (JOE GRAY, TOM CASSON, BENJAMIN URDAPILLETA AND DAVE MOORE). WHAT DO YOU THINK THEY CAN BRING TO THE TEAM? I think it’s important that you always have a little bit of freshness and energy in a squad. Ollie and Mo [laughs] – it’s easier to say Mo – bring that experience with them, while people like Benjamin Urdapilleta, David Moore, Joe Gray and Tom Casson are exciting talents for the long-term. We’re not only looking at the here and now, but also keeping our eye on the future. WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO ACHIEVE THIS SEASON? It’s easy to say you want to win every competition but we want to be better people, better players, and create a really good culture here. If we perform to our best in every game then we’ll see what comes of it. Ideally the minimum for everyone involved with the team is to be back in the Heineken Cup, but we’ll see where the season takes us.
MICHEL ROUX JR’s SEASONS 87
HARLEQUINS MICHEL ROUX JR’s SEASONS
do an incredible amount for families that promote kids rugby, there’s a great feel to the club.” In their history the club have won the RFU Clubs knockout competition twice: the John Player Cup was won in 1988 and the Pilkington Cup was achieved in 1991. The club also played in the 1992, 1993 and 2001 finals, and in 2001 the Quins became the first British side ever to win the European Shield. Then in 2004 they went one step further to become the first side to win the tournament twice.
Player power Over the years the Quins have had some legends of the game don their kit and represent the club. Michel remembers some of the famous names, “There’ve been so many iconic rugby players that have played for them. Jason Leonard, Keith Wood. Even Will Carling played here.” With the current squad Michel is convinced that the club have the right blend of players to be pushing for success come the end of the season. “At the moment they’ve got Danny Care as well as some great youngsters coming through, like Joe Marler. They’ll be up there, at the top.” So what are Michel’s predictions for this season? “I’m very confident that the team will be in the playoffs at the end of the season. They had an unfortunate start to the season where they lost some games that they shouldn’t have lost, but I think they’re clicking and getting into gear now.” •
