20 Questions: Mark Mapletoft – Harlequins backs coach

Pleased with your coaching career so far?
Crikey, yes. I started as an academy coach at Saracens, then worked for the RFU before joining Quins and it’s all been an upward curve. I’m sure it will plateau.
Ambitions to go higher?
Of course. For me that would be coaching England or the Lions. But it’s also about job satisfaction and, like Conor O’Shea and the others here, I get a huge amount of that coaching Harlequins.
Why did you leave the RFU for Quins?
I wanted to work with these guys. It seemed the club was on an upward curve, despite what had happened (with Bloodgate), and you make decisions on that basis.
What gives you most satisfaction?
Seeing the whole package coming together. We made 47 offloads at Worcester and played some great stuff, and defensively we’ve been solid. It’s high risk, high reward but we want to be a team that can adapt in all conditions, too.
Where did you start out in rugby?
In Rugby! I got forced into it at school. I’d always played football but went to Lawrence Sherrif Grammar, which only played rugby.
Were you a decent footballer?
Pretty decent, yes. I was a right-sided midfielder and had trials with Luton Town, Wolves and West Brom before being taken on as an apprentice by Coventry City.
At Coventry when they won the FA Cup in 1987?
Yes. I was at Wembley to see Keith Houchen and the boys beat Spurs.
Could you have stayed in football?
Coventry wanted me to go full-time and, at 17, I was probably among the top 100 kids in the country, but there was no educational follow-up.
How did you get your break in rugby?
The rugby reporter for the Coventry Telegraph, John Wilkinson, alerted the England U18s coach, Dick Tilley, to me and it went from there.
Your break in club rugby was with whom?
Rugby Lions. I got lucky because after the leagues were formed in 1987, they shot up into the top division and had a big profile.
How did you end up playing for Gloucester?
I always wanted to live in London but nothing really transpired there. Gloucester was a shot in the dark but it worked swimmingly.
One England cap… away to Argentina in 1997?
I played like a drain and we lost 13-33! I’d scored 500 points for Gloucester and Jack Rowell took me on tour as a full-back. It didn’t go well.
Feel you deserved another chance?
Never got the nod. I was a much better player two or three years later but by then Jonny Wilkinson was around along with Mike Catt and Paul Grayson.
Players you most admired?
Growing up I used to love watching Clive Woodward and John Carleton playing for England. They were try-scorers with real ability.
Best player played with or against?
Richard Hill, the Saracens flanker, was fantastic: so professional, such a nice guy and an amazing player at a time when the game was evolving.
How do you chill-out?
You don’t chill-out when you’ve got four kids! I attempt to play golf, though, and enjoy horse racing.
Always enjoyed the horses?
Yes, particularly jump racing. My dad and grandad were into it and I’ve found a kindred spirit at Quins in John Kingston. I just love watching it and studying the form.
Must-watch TV in your busy household?
The missus is making me watch the Real Housewives of Vancouver – it’s the same rubbish every week where a load of women have boob and Botox jobs and I have no idea why I watch it.
Heineken Cup dispute… your opinion?
I want a tournament involving all the top European teams, in a competition that reflects qualification. It can’t be right that a team like Zebre can finish bottom of the Rabo and qualify, and teams like Munster can rest players.
Something about Conor O’Shea we don’t know?
He’s obsessed with running. He runs all the time. And he loves a biscuit!