STUART LANCASTER SAYS he has learned from his experience in the England job not to get carried away when things are going well on the pitch.
The Leinster coach infamously presided over England’s ill-fated World Cup campaign on home soil in 2015 before resuming his coaching career with the province at the start of this season.
Lancaster arrived with a damaged reputation but has played an integral part in the encouraging progress made by Leo Cullen’s side this year and is now likely to be in high-demand elsewhere as his stock rises again.
His redemption mission in Ireland has gathered momentum with each passing week.
Upon his arrival at Leinster, a large part of Lancaster’s remit would have been to assist Cullen in guiding the club back to the knock-out stages of the Champions Cup and restoring the province to its former European glories.
Friday’s win over Montpellier means the first of the tasks has been achieved, but Lancaster insists there is still a lot of work to do.
“No, that’s the short answer,” he said, when asked if it gives him any satisfaction.
“Because I had great moments coaching England and we had great victories and big moments but the reality is that it comes down to the end of the season and success will be defined at the end, not the middle of the season.
“We’re pleased with the progress we’ve made but I still think we can improve a lot and all of us just want to get better. There’s two groups of players here. The ones that have won things with Leinster and want to win again and the ones that haven’t and they want to win. There’s a good desire from everyone.”
From Leinster’s point of view, Lancaster’s appointment has been a hugely successful one with the 47-year-old taking on a hands-on role within the senior squad.
His time in charge of England may have ended in ignominious fashion, but Lancaster carries weight as a coach. When he talks, the room listens and when he speaks, it’s with conviction, clarity and wisdom.
He is one of rugby’s nice guys, so it’s understandable why Leinster would be keen to retain his services beyond this season.
“I’ve said before and I’ll reiterate it,” Lancaster continued. “I’m loving it over here, it has been a really good move for me to come to such a good team with such good players who are hungry to learn and get better.
“There’s enough going on in the games at the moment to keep me busy but obviously conversations will continue I’m sure [about his future] and the most important thing for me as well is my family and trying to manage that commute.
“The kids are 15 and 16 and it’s an important time for them so just trying to get that balance right.”
Lancaster has been previously linked with the vacant positions at Connacht and Leicester Tigers, but for now his focus remains solely on the job in hand.
The next assignment comes in the form of an away trip to Castres with Leinster now in a position to secure a home Champions Cup quarter-final with victory against the Top 14 outfit.
As someone who has come in from the outside, Lancaster is already fully aware of the significance of a home tie for the province and the advantage that would give the team.
“You saw the energy at the RDS last week and what it means for the boys to play at home. It’s a huge thing,” he says.
“It’s a massive motivator but another motivator for me is backing up the performance with another good performance away from home at Castres and we need to get the details right which we did in the lead-up to the Montpellier game.
“Work hard understand the game plan and execute it. We’ve been good at home, now the challenge is to do it away from home where we’ve been a bit inconsistent.”
Lancaster has not only been impressed by the style of rugby, but the environment and real sense of identity at Leinster.
“The team has a very strong identity because a lot of the players are home grown,” he explains.
“There’s a very good academy programme here and you can see the passion they have to play here and also the quality. The competition for places is fierce now so that means we can drive standards in training.
“I think all, Leo in particular, but all the coaches deserve the credit for creating that environment and the young players getting the opportunities to shine.
“It’s different to England. While some are made up from the academy and the local area, there’s just not as many home grown players in Premiership squads. Saracens and Leicester traditionally have but here there are so many with a sprinkling of Isa Nacewa or Zane Kirchner but the majority of them are homegrown which is incredible really.
“It creates a real strong sense of commitment to each other and desire to do well. You should be optimistic about the future because that conveyor belt of talent and the desire. It reminds me of New Zealand and it’s a very similar model to there and that’s not a bad model to follow.”
Whether Lancaster is involved in the future remains to be seen, but he is fully committed to finishing the job this season. After all, he has learned the hard way not to look too far ahead.
The42 is on Instagram! Tap the button below on your phone to follow us!
A tad disappointed to see Eddie take the Cuala job. It’s a bit of a handy number really. I can understand his frustrations in Laois but this feels like a cop out. What he wouldn’t bring to a Carlow, Westmeath, Meath etc. It also saddens me to think that Cuala have the big bucks to throw at the big names and Eddie has probably been tempted by the €s.
@Johnny B: Tempted by €s? Is that such a bad thing? If he had taken over a county team with a few bob there would be purists implying he’s a mercenary too. He’s endured a tough time coping with the structures in Laois. Can’t blame him for joining a well run club with good players where he will probably do more for his reputation that spinning his wheels at a Carlie, Westmeath, Meath etc.
@Johnny B: I’m sure there is a bigger picture to look at here. Surely just a stepping stone into the Dublin hurling manager.
@EnKy: I don’t blame him either. Think he’s a real genuine hurling man. It’s just his attributes would be a real asset to a developing county. But you’re probably right = straight into the Dubs from here.
Would like to have seen Eddie in the Clare job. See how far he could actually bring them.
@Billy: would you not give Lohan a chance and try get the players missing this year back into the squad?
Best of luck to them,John was a fablous hurler ,thats some managment set up for a Club.
@Gerry Campbell: What about Ballaghaderreen baby?