Kingston hails Harlequins spirit

Kingston was promoted to the role of head coach at the Stoop in May

Harlequins head coach John Kingston has said that the team's spirit is helping them on the pitch this season.

Quins are fourth in the Guinness Premiership and won their Heineken Cup opener against Scarlets on Saturday.

Kingston told BBC London 94.9: "The spirit within our club is as good as I've ever known it and I've been here quite a while.

"I think they [the team] genuinely like each other and have a genuine belief in what they are trying to achieve."

He added: "Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, but they are trying their socks off."

Kingston was credited with inspiring Harlequins' comeback last week at Stradey Park. They went in at half-time 19-3 down and it was Kingston who led the half-time talk.

"It probably shouldn't have been necessary if we'd gone through with things the right way in the first half.

"We just focused in on the areas which we'd talked about - our preparation had been really good and I couldn't believe that we weren't going through with stuff that we'd identified as being priority.

"In a fairly honest and down-to-earth manner I went over the issues again and tried to make sure it sank in. Thankfully the response was very good."

I think [Ulster] are favourites with their tradition I think they know far more about the Heineken Cup as a squad, as a club and as a province and that experience is invaluable

Harlequins head coach John Kingston

This weekend Harlequins face Ulster in the second pool game of the Heineken Cup at the Twickenham Stoop. They are also in pool four with Stade Francais.

Kingston knows Quins will have to work hard to progress from the pool.

"We've got a heck of a hard group with three sides with fantastic tradition in the Heineken Cup and for us just to be rubbing shoulders with them is excellent.

"If we can beat Ulster- it will be a big effort to do that, but, it will be put us in an excellent position for the next part of [the cup] in December.

"I think [Ulster] are favourites with their tradition I think they know far more about the Heineken Cup as a squad, as a club and as a province and that experience is invaluable. It's very new to us - we respect hugely what they are."

After finishing sixth in the Guinness Premiership last season Kingston is keen for the team to improve on that.

"They're a very, very enthusiastic group to work with, the spirit within them is really tremendous and we believe that is part of the reason why we believe we will go forward over the coming months."

You can hear the full interview with John Kinston on The Scrum on BBC London 94.9 on Thursday, 16 October at 2100 BST.