THE NEWS WAS only confirmed on Monday, but already the Leinster squad are thinking about who might replace Stuart Lancaster when he departs for Racing 92 at the end of the season.
On Monday, the man himself was asked if the appointment could come from within Leinster HQ. “Yeah, internally it could happen,” Lancaster replied, although when Johnny Sexton’s name was mentioned, the former England head coach reckoned the job would be “the last thing on his mind”, with next year’s World Cup currently the out-half’s primary focus.
The idea of Sexton as coach was also put to Leinster centre Robbie Henshaw.
“It’s been thrown around, been debated,” Henshaw replies with a smile, adding “I reckon he’d play-coach”, exiting the room before further interrogation.
Earlier in the conversation Henshaw spoke of how Sexton had quickly turned the page following last season’s Champions Cup final defeat to La Rochelle, reminding a dejected squad sat in their Marseille dressing room that this year’s final in Dublin would be a particularly special one to win. We don’t yet know if Sexton will take the step into coaching, but there’s no doubting his leadership qualities, something Lancaster has been a major driver of within the squad.
Lancaster first arrived at Leinster back in 2016, the same summer a young Henshaw joined from Connacht. Henshaw has previously spoken about how he struggled to find his voice in a new environment. Lancaster played a major part in helping the Athlone man find the confidence to make himself heard.
“He came in and shared his story,” Henshaw explains.
“He was very vulnerable with what he went through post-World Cup as the head coach of England. He gave us his full story so he immediately had our respect for that. His honesty and his resilience as well, it was really eye-opening how he built himself back up and came in and took this club by the scruff of the neck, shook it up and got it going in the right direction. He has been brilliant for me, always positive but always challenging me.
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Henshaw and Lancaster both joined Leinster in 2016. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
“He has always looked at different centres across the world and different traits and asked ‘can you do this, can you grow this in your game?’
“Distribution, taking on the line as he says, being physical, just always trying to grow my game and I have a lot of respect for a coach who always asks your opinion. I like that as a player. It’s always a nice way to have a conversation, as opposed to be being told to do it in such and such a way. That’s my take on it.
“The leadership side of things, as you know, he is massive on. That is another area he said I could always grow, always get better at. I would be quiet enough in and around the team environment but he is always challenging me to speak when I have something to say.”
Lancaster’s impact went far beyond what anyone in Leinster could have hoped. Initially agreeing to come on board for one year, this season will be his seventh season with the province. During that time, Lancaster and Leo Cullen have guided the team to four league titles and one Champions Cup.
With Cullen overseeing the bigger picture, Lancaster has been the one driving things on the training pitch.
“He would look to other high-performing teams,” Henshaw continues.
He would look at the likes of the LA Lakers, the Patriots, and take bits of how they were coached under pressure and bring that into our training and into our preparation. So he wouldn’t just look at rugby alone, he would look at a wide variety of sports and successful teams, how they won trophies and what we could take from their mindset, their processes and drive it forward for us.”
The conversation has quickly turned to who will step into his shoes, and Sexton’s won’t be the only name in the mix.
“I’d imagine it’s going to be a big debate on who we’ll get in, but we’d be regarded as one of the best organisations in Europe so again there’s a cycle in things. I’ve played under great coaches who have moved on and new coaches have come in and sometimes it’s great when a fresh coach comes in.
“Andrew Goodman is in this year, he’s brilliant for the backs. He’s brought something new. So, as a player, it is tough to see a coach leave but it’s exciting to see what a new voice and set of eyes brings.”
Lancaster’s departure is another motivating factor for a group still hurting from how last season ended, losing in both the Champions Cup final and URC semi-finals.
Henshaw was a key part of Ireland's summer success in New Zealand. Photosport / Andrew Cornaga/INPHO
Photosport / Andrew Cornaga/INPHO / Andrew Cornaga/INPHO
A summer series win in New Zealand with Ireland helped ease the pain for a large portion of the squad, but now that they are back in the Leinster building, Henshaw and Co are determined to bring silverware back to the province this season.
“You definitely want to address it (last season), we looked at clips of what we did well in New Zealand and what we could bring in here.
“You address how we lost, the fashion of how we lost to La Rochelle and the Bulls – two of the power-based teams. It’s hard to watch, hard to look at. But we need to fix it on the pitch.
“The (Champions Cup) final in France is definitely one of the lowest points I’ve experienced, hopefully we’ll take that feeling and drive it on again this year.”
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'Stuart took this club by the scruff of the neck and shook it up'
THE NEWS WAS only confirmed on Monday, but already the Leinster squad are thinking about who might replace Stuart Lancaster when he departs for Racing 92 at the end of the season.
On Monday, the man himself was asked if the appointment could come from within Leinster HQ. “Yeah, internally it could happen,” Lancaster replied, although when Johnny Sexton’s name was mentioned, the former England head coach reckoned the job would be “the last thing on his mind”, with next year’s World Cup currently the out-half’s primary focus.
The idea of Sexton as coach was also put to Leinster centre Robbie Henshaw.
“It’s been thrown around, been debated,” Henshaw replies with a smile, adding “I reckon he’d play-coach”, exiting the room before further interrogation.
Earlier in the conversation Henshaw spoke of how Sexton had quickly turned the page following last season’s Champions Cup final defeat to La Rochelle, reminding a dejected squad sat in their Marseille dressing room that this year’s final in Dublin would be a particularly special one to win. We don’t yet know if Sexton will take the step into coaching, but there’s no doubting his leadership qualities, something Lancaster has been a major driver of within the squad.
Lancaster first arrived at Leinster back in 2016, the same summer a young Henshaw joined from Connacht. Henshaw has previously spoken about how he struggled to find his voice in a new environment. Lancaster played a major part in helping the Athlone man find the confidence to make himself heard.
“He came in and shared his story,” Henshaw explains.
“He was very vulnerable with what he went through post-World Cup as the head coach of England. He gave us his full story so he immediately had our respect for that. His honesty and his resilience as well, it was really eye-opening how he built himself back up and came in and took this club by the scruff of the neck, shook it up and got it going in the right direction. He has been brilliant for me, always positive but always challenging me.
“He has always looked at different centres across the world and different traits and asked ‘can you do this, can you grow this in your game?’
“Distribution, taking on the line as he says, being physical, just always trying to grow my game and I have a lot of respect for a coach who always asks your opinion. I like that as a player. It’s always a nice way to have a conversation, as opposed to be being told to do it in such and such a way. That’s my take on it.
“The leadership side of things, as you know, he is massive on. That is another area he said I could always grow, always get better at. I would be quiet enough in and around the team environment but he is always challenging me to speak when I have something to say.”
Lancaster’s impact went far beyond what anyone in Leinster could have hoped. Initially agreeing to come on board for one year, this season will be his seventh season with the province. During that time, Lancaster and Leo Cullen have guided the team to four league titles and one Champions Cup.
With Cullen overseeing the bigger picture, Lancaster has been the one driving things on the training pitch.
“He would look to other high-performing teams,” Henshaw continues.
The conversation has quickly turned to who will step into his shoes, and Sexton’s won’t be the only name in the mix.
“I’d imagine it’s going to be a big debate on who we’ll get in, but we’d be regarded as one of the best organisations in Europe so again there’s a cycle in things. I’ve played under great coaches who have moved on and new coaches have come in and sometimes it’s great when a fresh coach comes in.
“Andrew Goodman is in this year, he’s brilliant for the backs. He’s brought something new. So, as a player, it is tough to see a coach leave but it’s exciting to see what a new voice and set of eyes brings.”
Lancaster’s departure is another motivating factor for a group still hurting from how last season ended, losing in both the Champions Cup final and URC semi-finals.
A summer series win in New Zealand with Ireland helped ease the pain for a large portion of the squad, but now that they are back in the Leinster building, Henshaw and Co are determined to bring silverware back to the province this season.
“You definitely want to address it (last season), we looked at clips of what we did well in New Zealand and what we could bring in here.
“You address how we lost, the fashion of how we lost to La Rochelle and the Bulls – two of the power-based teams. It’s hard to watch, hard to look at. But we need to fix it on the pitch.
“The (Champions Cup) final in France is definitely one of the lowest points I’ve experienced, hopefully we’ll take that feeling and drive it on again this year.”
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Lancaster Leinster robbie henshaw Stuart Lancaster United Rugby Championship