Harlequins' Brown welcomes fresh start after mediocre season

Conor O'Shea, the club's director of rugby, is leaving to coach Italy, and a frustrated Brown welcomed the chance for a fresh start under current head coach John Kingston, who will lead Harlequins' management team from next season.

(Reuters)

"I am pretty fed up and annoyed by what has happened over the last three years," Brown told The Times.

"Maybe as senior players we haven't pushed each other as hard as we could, maybe the coaches haven't been as challenging as they could be, maybe everything has become a little bit too comfortable off the field and maybe on it as well.

"We have a fresh start with Conor leaving, an opportunity to review things and start again, a bit like what we did in 2011 when we won the (European) Challenge Cup. I feel we should have pushed on a bit more now."

Harlequins, who last won the Premiership in 2012, are currently sixth in the standings, and can secure European Champions Cup qualification by beating either Exeter Chiefs on Saturday or Montpellier in the European Challenge Cup final the following Friday.

(Reporting by Simon Jennings in Bengaluru; Editing by Ian Ransom)