England cast-off Robshaw gets Harlequins vote of confidence

Harlequins have announced that club stalwart Chris Robshaw will continue as Club Captain for the upcoming season.

Robshaw, 33, made his first team debut in 2005 having developed through the Harlequins Academy and has gone on to make over 250 appearances for Quins.

He is a two-time Premiership Player of the Year winner and scored in Harlequins’ famous Premiership Final victory over Leicester Tigers in 2012.

The former England captain has previously enjoyed spells as Harlequins’ captain, leading the Club through its most successful period in the professional era from 2010-2014 and for the 2018/2019 season, shared the honour with now-retired Australian rugby icon James Horwill.

The decision was made by senior coaching staff to appoint Robshaw as Club Captain for the next season, taking into consideration not only his loyalty to the Club, leadership and rugby skills but also his status amongst the Club’s players, fans and staff.

Following the announcement, Harlequins Head of Rugby Paul Gustard said: “He was a unanimous choice among the support staff and continues to be a very popular choice amongst the players. He did an excellent job last year and helped drive standards across the club that matched his own personal ambition and tenacity.

“When appointing a captain, I wanted someone who embraced the buzz, who could adapt and challenge and whom his teammates would follow and take inspiration from. There is no doubt that, with 66 England caps and 275 Harlequins appearances, in Chris we have that man. He continues to inspire everyone at the Club with his dedication, his endeavour, his talent and his humility. He is one of the most competitive people I have come across, never mind coached, and I believe he will help us build on some promising foundations last year with a squad that is excited to progress and willing to work exceptionally hard.

“Chris epitomises all the values of a human being and rugby player that you would wish to see. It is important that he has support from our synergy group to help him, and help us, take the team where we aspire to go. We must continue to develop our leadership density and help Chris continue to set new standards for himself and help him improve as a player, because he is always wanting more.

“Pre-season has been superseding expectations to date and the energy and electricity around our training ground is palpable. The confirmation of Robbo continuing his role as Captain will give us another boost as we look to move on up this week.”

Looking ahead to taking on the role of sole captaincy for the season, Robshaw added: “It’s such an honour to be made captain of this prestigious Club for the season. I enjoyed the role previously and working with James Horwill last season was a brilliant experience.

“We have a great group of lads here at Quins who are determined to improve on last season’s finish, so I can’t wait to lead them on and off the pitch.”