Premiership winning flanker turned England defence coach and Harlequins head coach
RugbyPaul Gustard built his reputation on defensive systems so uncompromising they became known, during his Saracens and England years, simply as the wolfpack.
As a player he was a combative flanker at Leicester, London Irish, and finally Saracens, where he was part of the squad that began the club's transformation into an English and European powerhouse. He won the Premiership title in 2011 before retiring to move straight into coaching.
He returned to Saracens as defence coach and was central to the club's back to back Premiership titles in 2015 and 2016 and their European Champions Cup win. Eddie Jones recruited him to England in 2016, where he oversaw one of the most feared defensive systems in world rugby, culminating in a Grand Slam and a series win in Australia. He left to become head of rugby at Harlequins in 2018 and later took senior coaching roles in Italian club rugby with Benetton.
Gustard is known in the game as a detail obsessive, a meticulous video analyst, and a coach whose teams run harder off the ball than most coaches dare ask of them. Away from the training ground he is thoughtful, funny, and a surprisingly good storyteller about the science and psychology of modern professional sport.
At Steam Wine Bar, Gustard brings the view from the coach's box of Saracens, England, and Harlequins, and the lessons a defensive mind has learned from the very highest level of rugby.
Two decades of world class speakers in the basement at EC3. Want to book Paul Gustard or someone like them? Tell us what you need and we will come back with a plan.
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