WHEN STUART LANCASTER first arrived at Leinster in September, he brought with him a dented reputation.
Perhaps that was unfair based on his time as England head coach overall, but no one could have come away from the pool-stage exit at a home World Cup with anything other than negative reviews.
It appeared that there was even some pleasure taken in deriding Lancaster on account of the failure to advance to the knock-out stages in 2015, but his removal as England head coach was the only viable outcome.
Joining up with Leinster provided the 47-year-old with an opportunity to rebuild his damaged reputation, while also getting back to his coaching roots – taking a hands-on role after he had gradually relinquished that with England.
The appointment of Lancaster as ‘Senior Coach’ for this season can only be seen as a success from Leinster’s point of view so far, with the Englishman making a telling impact and earning the squad’s respect.
The eastern province are five points off Guinness Pro12 leaders Munster before this evening’s clash with Zebre at the RDS, while they are five points clear at the top of Pool 4 of the Champions Cup with two rounds to go.
Clearly Lancaster doesn’t deserve all the credit for that fine first half of the campaign – Leo Cullen and co. are learning and improving all the time – but word is that Leinster’s players have been impressed with his work on the training ground and around the set-up.
Lancaster himself said back in September that there was “a perception in England that I probably didn’t do any coaching,” but he has shown strong technical and tactical knowledge across all areas of the game at Leinster.
It’s also understood that players enjoy his direct manner of interaction and believe Lancaster’s delivery has accelerated their development collectively and as individual players.
On the outside, the impression has been positive too. Lancaster has been honest and insightful in most of his dealings with the media, and many supporters have been quick to link his arrival with an upturn in Leinster’s performances.
The television images of Lancaster speaking to the Leinster team at half-time during their win away to Northampton in the Champions Cup only helped further the sense that the former England coach is influential within the province’s camp.
Lancaster is only contracted until the end of the current season, but it’s fair to say that many would now like to see him remain at Leinster beyond the summer.
However, the former Leeds player has been linked with several ‘number one’ positions elsewhere in recent times and it is likely that he is an increasingly attractive proposition for a range of clubs.
Leicester are currently in the market after the sacking of director of rugby Richard Cockerill, while Lancaster was linked with the Connacht job after confirmation that Pat Lam will leave for Bristol in June.
The Englishman had also been linked with Bristol before Lam’s appointment was announced, although he denied having had any contact.
The position of Jim Mallinder at Northampton is understood to remain shaky, while Worcester have not appointed a director of rugby since the departure of Dean Ryan last June.
Speaking back in September, Lancaster said he wasn’t thinking about a number one position.
“Further down the line, opportunities might come up,” said Lancaster at that point. “It is not something I crave at the moment.”
That has perhaps changed in the meantime and it will be fascinating to see what Lancaster’s next move is.
Leinster head coach Cullen was appointed on a two-year deal as head coach in 2015, meaning his future is also unclear at present. The appointment of Lancaster as a previously unheard of ‘Senior Coach’ appeared to muddy Cullen’s future, and there remains a lack of clarity over the province’s plans.
It may even be that Lancaster’s future is tied up with Cullen’s.
But if Lancaster is to remain beyond the summer, he may want to be the clear number one, rather than serving as part of Cullen’s staff – which he was quick to point out would be the case when he first arrived.
So Cullen was perhaps understandably evasive yesterday when asked if he would like to see Lancaster tied down to Leinster into next season, amidst the recent speculation of a move elsewhere.
“Yeah… it’s a difficult question to answer,” said Cullen. “Yeah, Stuart’s gone well and we’re having discussions all the time, and it’s all ongoing.
“So we’ll see. I’m sure you guys will be the first to know if we have anything to announce.”
It’s certain that Leinster’s Professional Game Board have been pondering the issue recently, particularly after their lack of a concrete plan was exposed after the exit of Matt O’Connor with a year left on his contract.
The province are unlikely to be caught in a similar position again, meaning they will surely be making a move soon. Whether or not Lancaster is part of the picture moving into 2017/18 remains to be seen.
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Jesus Jackie the match is still a week and a half away, slow news day