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Jerry Flannery Enjoyed Wild Celebrations After Harlequins Title Win

Jerry Flannery Enjoyed Wild Celebrations After Harlequins Title Win
PJ Browne
By PJ Browne
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Harlequins won their first Premiership Rugby title in nine years at the weekend, beating Exeter 40-38 in a thrilling final.

The title was unexpected considering head coach Paul Gustard got the boot in January with Quins seventh in the table.

Former Munster player and coach Jerry Flannery, who joined Harlequins last summer, was part of the coaching group which took over.

Following Saturday's win, the Limerick man enjoyed some wild celebrations.

"I'm frazzled man," he told Andy Goode and Jim Hamilton on The Rugby Pod.

"I was two days on the piss, sure. My brain is like a head of cabbage. You might have to be a little delicate with me.

"It was awesome. We were straight on it in the dressing room. I didn't realise some of the lads had cigars, they had whiskeys, I think Danny [Care] had a special pair of goggles for the Champagne. They were that prepared.

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"We went back to the Stoop. Then went on to the Cabbage Patch, and I don't know what time we got out of there. Then, yesterday, the players rocked down to Brighton, and all the staff went up to The Ship in Wandsworth. We were there until I don't know what time. It was awesome, some craic."

jerry flannery harlequins

Jerry Flannery on Harlequins culture

Flannery believes the victory is a owed to a "unique" culture which exists at Harlequins.

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"It was just phenomenal," said Flannery.

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"It was like a movie. The good thing about it is that it was a real team effort. There was no one person that could say they were the reason that we won.

"I know you boys are tight with Guzzy [Paul Gustard], and he's my mate. I was very angry when Guzzy left. I was real disappointed for him. I didn't know which way things were going to go.

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"I grew up in Munster. I played there for 10 years. I coached there for five years. The culture in Munster, they look at a club like Harlequins - I would have looked at a club like Harlequins - and said, 'These guys are so arrogant. They just think they're so good'.

"When it comes together, you see what they can do. Everyone has to take responsibility for what they're doing in the club. Unfortunately, that wasn't happening when Guzzy was there. It was all being left on Guzzy, and he was the guy who went.

"Then the players, every single person in the club pulled together, and owned their own area to a level that was phenomenal. If you look at the resources we have as a club, and you look at the resources other clubs have, we shouldn't be winning the Prem.

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"Externally, I can see why people dislike Harlequins because they seem arrogant, but the players back it up.

"I spoke to Snap (Nick Evans) about it, and I said, 'It can be viewed as arrogant'. He goes, 'We call it swagger'.

"The players just keep going, and they make rugby look so easy at times. They make it look so easy how they score tries. I think a lot of the credit is down to those boys. They've created a really strong culture, and it's a unique culture - it's not Munster culture, it's not a Saracens culture, it's unique to Harlequins. I don't know if you could replicate it anywhere else.

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"That a big learning for me coming over here: You don't try to force a culture on a place. It has its own identity."

Photo by Matt Impey/Sportsfile

See Also: Everybody Absolutely Loved Joe Marler's Interview After Premiership Triumph

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