STU GRIT Lancaster backing Blues to use experience

STUART Lancaster was clear about his objective when he landed at Leinster in a surprise September 2016 move. Explaining what his role as the province’s new ‘senior coach’ under Leo Cullen would entail, Lancaster said: “To help Leinster rugby become a dominant force in Europe again.”

The Blues had failed to qualify for the knockout stages the previous season.

Previous to that again, in 2015, they lost to Toulon after extratime in the Heineken Cup semis. In his first season with the province, Lancaster proved there was life as a coach after sitting in the England hotseat. The Leinster players raved about the improvements made on his watch and they made the Champions Cup last four.

But a nightmare start in that semi-final against Clermont in Lyon left too much to do, despite a spirited comeback.

Lancaster had been bitten by the bug and, having decided to stay on board for another two campaigns, has helped guide Leinster to the same stage once more.

So what makes him think now that the province can overcome the Scarlets – to “go one better” as he mentioned in his first press conference in

Dublin some 19 months ago now.

“Experience,” he replied. “The experience of playing in and losing big games teaches valuable lessons in sport.

“The challenge of last year was obviously going away to Clermont, trying to win away against a top team.

“The experience there was really about the first 15 minutes and making sure that all the players understand that in the biggest games something mightn’t happen or might go wrong in the first five, 10 or 15 minutes, and you think it won’t matter at the end.

“But everything does matter, from one to 80 minutes.

“We got two or three things wrong in the first 15 minutes. That cost us two tries and a sin-binning and suddenly you’re chasing the game.” But 48-year-old Lancaster (inset) is not counting his chickens against a very impressive Scarlets side.

“People underestimate their defence,” he stressed.

“They’ve got some standout players – Tadhg Beirne obviously being one of their key men, with 37 turnovers this season. “You can’t do what they achieved last year, by beating us and Munster, by doing what they did in the pool against Toulon and everyone along the way, without being a top quality team.

“They’re the toughest opponents we will have faced so far in Europe.”