Gustard’s animal magic gets results

Paul Gustard admits he is ’left-field’, which is short-hand for saying he is a strange man, with unusual methods.

Most rugby coaches would plan an inspirational speech to gee up their players, or a video clip that proves they are capable of doing what is asked of them.

Not Gustard, though. Instead, the Saracens defence coach brings live wolves into training, following that up by feeding a mouse to a python as a group of hardened rugby men were reduced to quivering wrecks in front of him.

It is unusual, but it works. Saracens’ defence has been the best in England for the past four years and Gustard’s left-field methods deserve credit for that.

Now, as they prepare to face Ulster in a Heineken Cup quarter-final, he and his side will be tested once again — and when they do head to Ravenhill they will be thinking of wolves and snakes before attempting to repel Ruan Pienaar, Andrew Trimble and the rest.

“We have a breed of people at Saracens who are left-field in their brain organisation,” he laughs.

“They like story-telling and analogies so that’s what we try and do. I came up with the moniker for us, and our defensive unit is called ‘the wolf pack’.”

In practice that means animals have become as important a part of training as cones or tackle bags.

“We have had a couple of wolves in for a meeting,” Gustard explains. “It was a shock for the boys and a real shock for me as they were two feet behind me through the meeting.

“It definitely got me a bit nervous and hot under the collar, I can tell you. We have used phythons in the past too, as Alex Sanderson [forwards coach] has the same ideas about these things as I do.

“What’s the thinking behind it? We just want to terrify the boys, that’s all. I stand up in front of the same people for 40 weeks of the year, doing two presentations every week. You’re trying to tell them the same information every time, week on week, meeting on meeting, because what we do doesn’t change. We need to grab their attention, heighten their senses and, on occasion, we try to spike that.

“A wolf certainly grabs their attention!”

Now the question is whether Saracens’ unusual techniques can see them better last season’s semi-final appearance in the Heineken Cup.

They beat Ulster 27-16 at Twickenham in last season’s quarter-final but must travel to Ravenhill this time around. Yet Gustard is confident his methods mean Saracens have a fine chance of a repeat scoreline.

“I believe our methods have worked,” he said. “The last four seasons we have had the best defensive record in England, and in the Heineken Cup we have had some unbelievable performances.

“We aren’t the finished article in attack, defence or the set-piece but we have made huge strides.”