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When asked if he would consider becoming an international head coach again, Stuart Lancaster recalls the nine months of disorientation he suffered following his departure from England in late 2015 following his ignominious World Cup campaign. “Going back to being a head test coach isn’t necessarily an itch you want to scratch,” says Cumbrian, 50. “Does Jürgen Klopp need to leave Liverpool to fulfill his dream and coach an international team?”
Never mind that in his four years at the helm England saved his reputation and enjoyed more stability than at any time since winning the 2003 World Cup. Still, the 2015 campaign affected his reputation and he traveled the world to improve. his coaching skills before he got a call from Leinster rugby director Leo Cullen at the start of the 2016-17 season.
“I remain very grateful to Leinster for giving me that opportunity,” says Lancaster as he prepares for Saturday’s European Cup quarter-finals with the Saracens behind closed doors in Dublin. “Until then, I was doing little things without having the right equipment and purpose to put my teeth into,” he adds, before explaining why he is in no rush to leave, whatever offers may come up.
“There is a strong drive for me to participate in the club game because I love day to day and week to week and I am fortunate to have the head coach position at Leinster. I want to give them something back for the opportunity they gave me and the way they hugged me and my family. I would have a hard time changing that and going in a completely different direction when you only play 10 games a year. “
Leinster won Saturday night’s Pro14 final against Ulster and are therefore undefeated since losing the Champions League final to the Saracens in Newcastle last year. That works out to 23 wins out of 23, with many of their Pro14 matches played during the World Cup and Six Nations without 15 of their players. “We trust and rotate the team,” says Lancaster. “It is difficult because we had a semi-final and a Pro14 final, the Saracens in the quarterfinals of the European Cup and the semi-final the following week if we win. And then it’s two league games in the new season followed by the final of the European Cup, if we succeed.
“It’s something we talked about from the start of the confinement, the mentality of reaching its peak after a long break. We know what is coming. We have to be prepared for it. I don’t know if anyone has spent a season winning every game, but we can’t afford to look that far. “
Saracens and Leinster have dominated the Champions Cup since the 2015 World Cup, winning all four finals between them. The Premiership club has lifted the trophy three times, but will not participate in the tournament for at least two seasons after being relegated to the Championship for breaking the salary cap.
“We will not underestimate them,” says Lancaster. “I know their players and coaches too well and they are far from being a broken team. His narrative will be that this is his last dance with some players leaving the club after his European campaign is over. Their motivation will be huge and while they will miss Owen Farrell as it is one of their beats, they have many others. They are experienced and have been through success and adversity together. It makes them a tight and dangerous group and next weekend will be everything to them. “
Leinster and Saracens run on similar lines, much more reliant on their academy players than big-name signings. It creates an identity and a unity that isolates them in difficult times and makes them formidable on the big occasion. “Our success is due to several reasons,” says Lancaster. “The average age of the staff is around 25 years old and due to the quality it is acquiring, we should be very competitive in the next four or five years.
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“Aside from Scott Fardy, James Lowe and Jamison Gibson-Park, we practically have a team of local players who were born and raised in the province. They have come through a very talented school system and a system of high performing academies or a club system that brings real toughness and high quality. And we invest in trainers. “
Lancaster is at home in a foreign country, but if it’s not full-time international rugby, what about the Lions in South Africa next year, with Warren Gatland reflecting on his staff having already spoken to Leinster’s head coach? “I have not had any more conversations with him. I’m sure he will go out and talk to people. Everyone would aspire to that, but I have enough to think about with the Saracens. “
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