By PerryGo
June 26 2002

With the announcement that former Wales fly-half Paul Turner has been appointed as the new backs coach, Harlequins’ supporters are hoping for a turnaround in the performance of the back division in the coming season.

Passed over during last season as a possible successor to Philippe St. André at Gloucester - despite ‘not ruling himself out’ of contention at the time - a move back to the London area will suit 43-year old Turner, whose family are based in St. Albans. Recent speculation had also linked him with the vacant coaching job at his former club Newport.

Turner has a well-travelled background, having played for Newbridge and Newport in his native Wales, before player-coaching spells at Sale Sharks, Bedford Blues and Rugby Lions. He won all of his 3 Welsh caps in the 1989 5 Nations, against England, France and Ireland.

Sale were struggling in the old Second Division when Turner joined them as Player-Coach for the 1992-93 season. They avoided relegation, and just a year later Turner inspired them to the Second Division title, notching up a personal tally of 144 points. In their first season back in the top flight, Sale exceeded all expectations by finishing fourth. Despite being the experts’ favourites for relegation most seasons, they achieved a creditable top-six finish in each of the next three years.

Turner was controversially dismissed in 1996, being replaced as Player-Coach by current All Blacks coach John Mitchell. This was the dawn of the new professional era, and ambitious Bedford seized the chance to sign Turner as Captain and Director of Coaching in time for the 1996-97 season, where he joined one-time England and Lions manager Geoff Cooke.

In 1998, Bedford won the inaugural Allied Dunbar Premiership Two title, and narrowly lost 33-25 to Gloucester in the Cheltenham & Gloucester Cup final at Kingsholm, a match in which Turner played against his future coaching boss at Gloucester, Philippe St. André. PSA later described him as “a very good fly-half (who) has coached with a lot of good people and good sides”. A ‘bon mot’ for Paul Turner, you could say. During their cup run, Bedford took the scalp of Turner’s former club Sale (as well as two other top flight sides) which was no doubt a sweet moment for him.

Bedford’s achievements were all the more creditable for the difficulties they had to overcome mid-season, when for financial reasons one-fifth of the 40 man playing squad had to be let go - including Ryan O’Neill, who was on Harlequins’ roster last season. This apparent setback, however, was then followed by a 16 match unbeaten run…

Turner moved on to Rugby Lions, after a brief stint at Saracens (where he worked for current Quins’ CEO and Director of Rugby Mark Evans). When Paul arrived, Rugby were struggling at the bottom of their division, but the team he put together - using what has been described as a “formidable network of contacts” - won them promotion to National Division One.

Rugby Lions won many admirers for the quality of their play, particularly the exciting performances of the backs, with Paul Turner’s influence being described as ‘daring’.

Turner relinquished his position with the Lions to join Gloucester as backs coach in October of last year, replacing former Harlequins’ coach Andy Keast. The Cherry and Whites’ first match with Paul Turner in situ turned out to be a superb win for Gloucester, even though they found themselves without a forwards’ coach following recent departures.

Gloucester’s achievements of last season, where they finished as proud winners of the much-loved Zurich Championship (as well as finishing third behind Leicester in the less-well-regarded Zurich Premiership) no doubt owed much to Paul Turner’s influence, especially as Gloucester changed Head Coach mid-season, with Wasps’ Nigel Melville taking over from a tearful PSA after the league match at The Stoop. PSA’s tears were for the fact he was leaving, by the way, (albeit somewhat inexplicably, since he left of his own free will) rather than the fact Gloucester had been playing at The Stoop, which had made him rather happy - as it did for most visiting coaches last season…

Well known throughout the rugby world, Paul Turner is widely regarded as one of the best backs’ coaches in the business. Last year, Gloucester racked up a league-topping 692 points, together with 12 BP’s (in which they were equal-top with Bristol). That is a mere 258 league points more than Harlequins managed.

As a former fly-half himself, Paul will no doubt have some views on the Quins’ back line-up, which may mean an answer sooner rather than later to some of the issues that have been troubling many of the regular message-boarders, such as:

• Is Will Greenwood really committed to Quins, or is the club now just a convenient training ground for England duties and a selection platform when Woodward comes to watch?
• Will Turner have an influence in the selection of the remaining new signings, even at this late stage?
• Is Paul Burke – so often the hero with his goal kicking and ever-popular with the fans – enough of an attacking force in open play? Are Quins in the transfer market looking for a top-line challenger?
• How soon is too soon for the promising Chris Bell to be first-choice in the big games? Will Bell ‘do a Duncombe’ and make it into an England training squad before the next season closes? If so, it was predicted here first.

Mark Evans will be delighted with his new coaching acquisition and, having experienced Paul Turner first-hand at Saracens, will feel that there is little risk of needing to go for the hat-trick of mid-season coaching changes in 2002-03.

Paul Turner, on the other hand, will be pleased that the club’s confidence is underpinned by a two-year contract…