Harlequins Women head coach Gerard Mullen says that the Army Senior Women trio of Bdr Bethan Dainton (Royal Artillery), Capt Alexandra Eddie (QARANC) and Sgt Jade Mullen (AGC (SPS)) all add value to the club’s squad as it maintains its push to be in the Premier 15s final this season.
The three have featured in Harlequins’ last few matches as they have returned to winning ways following something of a blip against Loughborough and Exeter, with Bdr Dainton also receiving a call-up into the Wales national squad ahead of the upcoming Six Nations.
Over recent weeks the Army RU has found out from players what they have experienced in the top flight, but what does a coach think about the contributions made by Army players on and off the pitch?
“A common characteristic across all the girls is a very strong attitude and a big capacity for work rate,” Mullen says. “They’re very easy to work with, they take challenge and feedback very well, and are resilient people. As a coach it’s a dream to work with people like that who want to be the best they can be.
“I’ve no doubt that their careers and what they do in the Army plays a big part in that. As a young, ambitious coach I’ve always tried to learn from the Forces in terms of how I can be a better leader and instil better behaviours and values in the playing squad. There’s no one who does it better than the Forces.”
Bdr Dainton’s call-up into the Wales squad was her first since 2016, and while the player has expressed her surprise, her club coach says that it is just reward for her consistency and standards throughout the season.
Image © Neil Kennedy
“I wasn’t surprised at all. [Wales coach] Warren Abrahams and I know each other well and he’s watched a couple of Bethan’s games,” Mullen comments. “She had a good start to the season, unfortunately picked up an injury, but then she worked hard on her rehab to come back ahead of schedule, which is down to her commitments and efforts. She deserves the opportunity and I’m looking forward to seeing her pull on the Wales shirt at some point.”
Although there are some full-time professional players, the Premier 15s is dominated by individuals who combine their rugby with other work obligations, and Mullen is constantly impressed by the positive attitude of this second group.
“It’s a massive commitment from some of our players, who work in very time-consuming jobs, but they still turn up to train and give it their all,” he says. “At Quins we have a mixture of players who are available during the day and in the evening and sometimes it can be tough to strike that balance, but it’s testament to the girls who can just train on a Tuesday and a Thursday evening that they do everything they can to ensure they understand where we’re trying to take things.”
This is Mullen’s first season in the Premier 15s, having joined Harlequins from Loughborough last summer. The league has come on in leaps and bounds this season, with new teams across the country and interesting results with no team unbeaten heading into the last few rounds.
Indeed there are three teams within four points in the run for the final, with Saracens top, Harlequins three points behind and Loughborough a point further back. Meanwhile newcomers Exeter Chiefs having become increasingly competitive, beating Quins, Saracens and fourth-placed Wasps in recent weeks.
“I’m new to the women’s game in August and am learning each day in terms of how I can best adapt from working with males to working with females,” Mullen says. “I was the men’s coach at Loughborough but watched the women’s games and when this league started you knew who was going to be in the driving seat come the end of the season. Whereas now the competition across the league is growing, and the level of coaching and the athletes are both improving as teams invest in strength and conditioning.
“The level of professionalism is going up and teams know their preparation needs to improve if they want to compete. You can’t just get by with a strong playing group or otherwise teams will catch you out.
“We lost to Exeter a couple of weeks ago, which shows how the league is going, and they’ve beaten Saracens as well. It’ll be great for the league if it keeps growing this way.”
Mullen also paid tribute to the contributions of former Army Men’s head coach, Andy Sanger, who as director of player development plays a key role in making Harlequins the club it is.
Image © Alligin Photography
“He’s a legend of a man and there’s no problem too small,” Mullen says. “He’s the man who can who is a very supporting character. He’s more involved with the men but is very supportive of what we’re doing and to me as an individual.
“It’s about so much more that’s about the player as a person and their life away from the pitch. If they’re happy in that aspect then you’ll get a better environment in training and in matches. Harlequins do care about their players and employees and they treat everyone with respect. They understand the bigger picture around the welfare of everyone involved.”
Words © Chris Wearmouth, Header and Featured Image © Neil Kennedy
