Master tactician Lancaster must be in England frame ...
Coach learnt from pain of 2015 World Cup and has transformed Leinster – now he can replace Jones
We have a peculiar habit in this country, particularly when it comes to sport, of writing people off after one failure. So, for instance, if you asked the average rugby fan in England to define Stuart Lancaster’s tenure as head coach of the national team from 2012-2015, they would recall that painful pool exit at our home World Cup in 2015, those defeats by Wales and Australia, and that would be that. Lancaster? Good coach, decent man, tried his best, but failed at the very top level.
How short-sighted is that? Look at the world of business, or the arts, and you would struggle to find any top entrepreneur, actor or musician who did not have myriad failures in their past. I think of that Thomas Edison quote: “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” It is so true. It took Sir James Dyson 5,127 prototypes to invent the world’s first bagless vacuum cleaner.
The truth is failure is a part of one’s education, of the journey to self-improvement.
No one could say that Stuart has not learnt from his England experience. He is showing now at Leinster what an incredible coach he is. If the Irish province beat Toulouse today, which I expect them to, and go on to win a record-equalling fifth Champions Cup, I believe Stuart is going to come right back into the England conversation.
I have to declare an interest here because I get on well with Stuart. He invited me into his England set-up early in his time there, to watch a session, and I was hugely impressed. I found him honest, open, likeable. And we remain on good terms, in regular dialogue.
The way he was treated post-2015 was appalling. Yes he made mistakes. Selection became an issue towards the end of his time in charge, square pegs in round holes and so on. Particularly at the 2015 World Cup, where the Sam Burgess experiment did not help. I do not mean in terms of Burgess’s talent (he was an unbelievable physical specimen and it tends to be forgotten England were winning while he was on the field against Wales), more the impact his fasttracking had on the rest of the squad.
Stuart was unfortunate it happened on his watch. He found himself caught between conflicting interests at Bath and the Rugby Football Union. I suspect he might handle things very differently now.
Stuart was accused of running a classroomtype
He made mistakes but the way he was treated was appalling – he did not deserve to be a pariah
environment, but, let me tell you, that 2003 team used to be sent to our room for afternoon naps.
It is fine margins. Either way, Stuart did not deserve to be cast as some sort of pariah. He is a hard-working, salt-of-the-earth Cumbrian who took over after a World Cup in which England badly let themselves down on and off the pitch.
With no real club experience to speak of, Stuart overhauled the team’s entire culture and system, putting in place many of the foundations that helped them to become one of the top sides in the world. They also played some great stuff at times – against New Zealand in 2012 was one of the great Twickenham performances – and he deserved more than to be defined by that one World Cup experience. I know how hard his family, particularly his parents, took the criticism that followed. It definitely scarred Stuart, too. But Leinster have given him an opportunity to relaunch his career and, boy, has he grabbed it with both hands.
I accept that it is a four-province system in Ireland and that Leinster hold most of the aces with the conveyor belt of talent that comes out of Dublin’s schools system. I accept that you look down that teamsheet and it is effectively an Ireland team in all but name. I accept that Stuart is not the only coach there; Leo Cullen is clearly a shrewd boss, with other coaches, such as Robin Mcbryde, Felipe Contepomi and Denis Leamy, helping to create the perfect alchemy.
But Stuart is clearly the man responsible for Leinster playing
the way
they do; the master tactician. You only have to listen to the players. Johnny Sexton, in particular, has consistently hailed the impact Stuart has had on the Leinster squad, the way they offload, the complexity of their strike moves. They are so well drilled; remorseless. And it is virtually impossible to contain them given they can hit you at the set-piece and in open play with dizzying, five-pass backs moves in which the speed and precision of play is extraordinary.
Toulouse have a bit of Real Madrid about them. And you cannot count out a team of galacticos who keep snatching victory from the jaws of defeat in the way they do. But I would stake my house on Leinster beating Toulouse today, that is how much faith I have in them. And Stuart. Ireland and Leinster fans certainly appreciate him. But do we appreciate what we gave up? When Eddie Jones leaves his post, presumably post-2023, there will be a host of names in the mix. Steve Borthwick, Rob Baxter, Alex Sanderson, Scott Robertson, Andy Farrell. But you have to have Stuart Lancaster in that conversation. I believe he would be better second time around. Failure is a crucial part of success. Sir Clive Woodward probably would have lost his job in today’s climate after what happened in 1999 but he came back to win four years later. Graham Henry won the 2011 World Cup after being given another chance. Would Stuart want to come back? That is another question entirely. I have not asked him but I suspect the answer is yes. Stuart may be unassuming and softly spoken but he is also a competitive animal. And a proud man. And he backs himself.
I have heard people say he would work only as part of a coaching ticket, with someone above him to handle the media. But I think he has grown in confidence. Whether that is a circle which can be squared remains to be seen, but I would like to think it can. My wife says you cannot reheat a souffle when it comes to relationships, but I do not think that rule applies to rugby management.