Everyone had blond hair... I was stretched trying to remember the names
Stuart Lancaster’s arrival at Leinster was memorable for a very peculiar reason ....
STUART LANCASTER smiles. He’s been caught on the hop walking into his new workplace at Leinster. Even Ireland players he coached against with England weren’t immediately familiar as the squad had just honoured the departing Kurt McQuilkin − the man he was replacing − with a charity ‘shave or dye’.
‘Everyone had blond hair,’ quips the former PE teacher. ‘I was stretched trying to learn the names. The squad is huge… but I got them pretty quick.’
Following 10 months as a global odd job man (he coached tackle technique to American football’s Atlanta Falcons and advised West Park Leeds women’s rugby team), Leinster are enthusiastic about Lancaster’s fourweek impact.
Likewise, the province’s supporters. ‘The Irish people who see me wish me good luck, “we’d like you to do well”, “we’re pleased you’re here”. It’s nice to be appreciated. Hopefully, I can add some value.’
He’s still getting his bearings. Thursday was moving-in day to his new Dublin 4 rental, but he has landed on his feet; the job suits his Leeds-based family. On Wednesday, his day off, he was able to catch the 6.30am red-eye to Leeds Bradford, which got him home in plenty time to take his kids to school. Perfect.
‘It’s a quicker commute than maybe Northampton or Leicester, definitely London,’ he beams. This will be his routine for the next nine months. After that, who knows?
‘There’s no specific review deadline or timeline. Let’s keep open minded about how it evolves. The first step back into coaching on the back of being England coach was always going to be a big one and I needed to make the right decision for me and the family. It does feel the right decision.
‘A few years ago you think “I want to be England coach until 2019” but things in sport change and I have learned now not to look too far ahead, just deal with the here and now and let it work itself out. Because, until Leo (Cullen) rang, there was a chance I could have been coaching in France, coaching in America. So by the time Leo’s call came you had been through this scenario four or five times with your family. If he hadn’t called I could be sat in Leeds waiting for the phone to ring. I’m not going to get too far ahead of myself.’
It’s a year to the very weekend when his life turned upside down. England were eliminated from their own World Cup and Lancaster was soon cut adrift despite having four years left on his contract.
‘A hugely emotional time,’ he admits. There was no getting away from it.
‘I walked up St Bees Head, near my old school on the west coast of Cumbria, over the top towards this lighthouse in Fleswick Bay. I was on my own and this one bloke came up to me, walking the other way with his dog.
‘He said: “You’re Stuart Lancaster, aren’t you?” I was like, “Oh my God, how come, a million miles from anywhere?”.
‘Then I stayed in my parents’ caravan in the Lake District. I went into the local pub and, again, they recognised me. I’d about eight pints with the locals, drowned my sorrows, went back to my caravan!’
England won the Six Nations that had eluded them on his four-year watch and he and his wife watched from afar on TV in Dubai. He could be bitter, but he’s not.
‘It was unbelievably tough to come second four years on the bounce, so to see them get across the line, I was pleased.’
He is amused his unexpected arrival at Leinster – people thought he was only in the market for head coaching vacancies – was cheered by numerous critics who couldn’t wait to see the back of him as England boss.
‘I got a lot of text messages, quite a lot from the journos. “Nice to see you back”. I was thinking: “Alright, I miss you too!”.
‘But the reaction from people I know in the game, it was nice they were pleased to see I was back because other coaches haven’t come back from losing a national job.’
Lancaster’s return to a week-toweek club set-up for the first time since 2007 has seen him jump ahead of Girvan Dempsey and John Fogarty in Leinster’s pecking order, but his elevated status as senior coach hasn’t caused ructions. ‘Leo spoke to them in the first instance… they weren’t put out at all.’
So what does “senior coach” entail? ‘Leo does the selection – it’s his final call. The week and how it’s structured are all Leo’s responsibility and he leads the meeting towards the end of the week.
‘What I do pretty much is look at our attack and defence from setpiece, but mainly phase play attack and defence. John would look at the scrum and Girvan the backs attack from set-piece, but I would do the overall framework.
‘Tuesday was a good example: I pretty much ran the first three quarters of the session on attack and defence. The final 20 minutes, Girvan took the backs for skills and starter plays and John the forwards. It’s not dissimilar from other environments in England.
‘There wasn’t any tip-toeing to be done,’ he continues. ‘I had to go straight in the front door and the players responded brilliantly. I can’t speak highly enough of their work ethic, their desire to get better and their humility as a group. It’s very impressive.’
Impressive enough for Leinster to challenge in Europe again after last winter’s horror show? Yes, he predicts. ‘English and French clubs won’t dominate. You will see a different level of competitiveness from Pro12 clubs than last year.
‘I don’t think it’s ultimately dictated by money because there are a lot of very good players in the Leinster squad. I don’t think any English team, or Castres and Montpellier, would look at Leinster and think it’s going to be an easy game.
‘The size of their players and their power could become the issue but if we play a smart, pressing defensive game, if we expand our attack to create and use our skills, agility and fitness, you can certainly cause them trouble.’
So he hopes.