Latest news with #StuartLancaster
RTÉ News
09-06-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Will Stuart Lancaster be a uniting force at Connacht?
The news that Stuart Lancaster is taking over as the head coach of Connacht has caused huge excitment out west. The former England head coach and Leinster senior coach, who departed from his most recent role at Racing 92 in February, has signed a two-year deal to succeed Pete Wilkins who resigned in April. It's a serious coup for Connacht. During Lancaster's seven seasons in Dublin, Leinster won the 2018 Champions Cup as well as four successive Pro14 titles. If he brings even a fraction of that success to his new job he'll be given hero status, and while there's no guarantees in top-level rugby, the Against The Head panel are certain the province is bringing in a figure of real pedigree. "I think he's done more for Connacht this week than spending €100,000 on an advertising campaign, because he's got to Galway, he's met the staff, he's met some of the players, and everyone knows what he did in Leinster," said Bernard Jackman. "You speak to any of the Leinster players, they're incredibly complimentary about his understanding of how to build, how to coach, how to run training sessions which at Leinster is hard because of the numbers but he ran brilliant training sessions, his philosophy on the game, how he develops leadership culture. I think Connacht players are ecited, Connacht fans are excited. "He's a great get. Fair play to the IRFU and Connacht for getting him. "I think it also shows the investment they made in facilities is obviously important for the players and staff, but someone like him... he was on the short list for the Wales job, he was down to the last two for Australia. If he'd bided his time he could have got some big jobs in Europe and he's picked Connacht." Donal Lenihan echoed those sentiments, highlighting the quality of the Connacht production line as another factor that potentially lured Lancaster back to Ireland. "The fact he was over there to watch his son (Dan) playing for Racing recently obviously opened his eyes to what's happened out west for the past number of years," he said. "But there is an incredible number of real quality young players. "I think Lancaster is tailor-made for them. If I was in charge of selling season tickets for Connacht I'd be absolutely thrilled because my job has been done overnight. "I was out with Johnny Sexton at a function recently and he spoke in glowing terms about what Lancaster did for Leinster. "Just his capacity to bring everybody on board, to actually coach, to improve players, to work with people and make them better. People then as a consequence really want to work with him, for him. That's a uniting element in any dressing room."
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Smith the guiding light for ex-England rugby coach Lancaster
Stuart Lancaster says he sees former All Blacks coach Wayne Smith's journey back to the top as his inspiration (Sylvain THOMAS) Wayne Smith's rebuilding of his reputation as a coach has served as an example to former England head coach Stuart Lancaster, he told the Sunday Times. Lancaster bounced back once with Leinster when he was cast aside by England after their disastrous first round exit at the 2015 Rugby World Cup they hosted. Advertisement Now the 55-year-old Englishman must do it all over again, this time with Ireland's weakest province Connacht, after being dismissed by Top 14 side Racing 92 earlier this season. Smith's path to coaching redemption after being fired as All Blacks coach in 2001 came via English Premiership side Northampton Saints. It ended with him becoming a two-time World Cup winner (2011/15) as assistant coach of the All Blacks to first Graham Henry and then Steve Hansen -- a knighthood followed to boot. "He's won the World Cup but he wasn't the head coach," said Lancaster of Smith. "He's respected as a coach who's made a difference to people. Advertisement "That means more to me than anything. Making sure you're there to enjoy your time with your mates, and that your family enjoy it. "Everyone's part of the journey." Lancaster, who guided Leinster to four European Cup finals with the highlight winning the 2018 edition, said he has to pinch himself at times to grasp what he has made of his career. "I was asked this question: if you look back to when you were a teacher, would you take where you're at?" he said. "If you said to me when I was a teacher at 28 years old that I would end up coaching England, coaching in France, coaching in Ireland, winning the European Cup, beating the All Blacks? I'd pull your hand off." Advertisement - 'Top of Everest' - At the same time, though, he feels he still has to accomplish more if he is to retire a contented man. "But if you said to me right now, am I satisfied and ready to finish?" he said. "No, I'm not. "I'm still seeking the real true fulfilment. A New Zealand psychologist, Dave Hadfield, said if you were to retire now, would your soul be at rest? I went, no, I don't think it is. "Until that happens, I'll keep on going. My wife (Nina) says to me, 'When the hell is that going to be?'" To that he replied dryly "when Connacht win the European (Champions) Cup)" which given he has signed a two year contract is asking something as they finished 13th in the URC Championship this term. Advertisement Lancaster says things did not work out at Racing because of a combination of things, although he believes he was moving things in the right direction. "I was promised to be in control of the rugby programme but that never really happened," he said. "The lack of patience: it takes more than 16 months to turn around an organisation and to have it pulled away from you when, yeah, it's not going great but it's going in the right direction. "You look at Manchester United. Once you're in that downward slide of poor recruitment, poor coaching, poor culture, poor identity, there's no magic wand you can wave in a club environment." Advertisement Lancaster may have been let go by Racing 92 but he remained very much in demand. Wales and Australia were linked with him, but after seemingly been in pole position for the Wallabies post he lost out to Les Kiss. Lancaster said he was mindful of there being a life outside rugby. "What I don't want to do is keep trying to get to the very top of Everest all the time and then get to 70 years old and realise 'Jesus Christ, I've just missed life'. "That balancing in life, it's been on my mind." pi/lp
Irish Independent
07-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
New boss Stuart Lancaster targets a return to Europe's top table for Connacht
Newly-appointed Connacht head coach Stuart Lancaster is confident that he can lead the province back to where they belong by qualifying for next season's URC play-offs and securing Champions Cup rugby.
The 42
07-06-2025
- Sport
- The 42
'Stuart was always innovating. It's addictive to be in that environment'
WHETHER IT WAS the tennis ball machine he brought in, the leadership books he would suggest they read, or demanding that they lead analysis meetings, Stuart Lancaster always found new ways of challenging his Leinster players. Now, Connacht's players will be tested by Lancaster's insatiable pursuit of improvement. The Englishman spent seven years working as Leinster's senior coach, helping them to emerge from a worrying lull to claim a Champions Cup and Pro14 double in 2017/18, his second season with the province. There were three other Champions Cup finals during his spell with Leinster, as well as three more Pro14 titles. Those who worked with Lancaster during that time fondly remember the achievements, of course, but they also recall just how much he helped them to improve. Lancaster's influence on Leinster's squad not only improved the province's performances but also Ireland's. 'He was always innovating and trying to give us opportunities to get better,' says former Leinster and Ireland hooker James Tracy. 'Because he's so interested in personal growth and learning and learning from others, you can't not learn from him. 'It's very addictive to be in an environment like that.' And it wasn't just the players. Lancaster had a broader influence on many coaches within the province. This is something he plans to do in Connacht too. Lancaster during his first season with Leinster. Morgan Treacy / INPHO Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO St Michael's College, one of the key providers of players to Leinster, suffered an agonising defeat to Belvedere in the semi-finals of the 2018 Schools Senior Cup. The school's coaches, Andy Skehan and Emmet MacMahon, were still reeling when they got a surprise call from Lancaster, who they hadn't yet met at that point. 'He got our numbers and asked to meet us,' says Skehan, director of rugby at St Michael's. Advertisement 'We went through the game and he said it reminded him of the England v Wales game he was involved in at the 2015 World Cup. 'The learning from that was monumental for us and the development for us as coaches was huge. We put that into practice and then it became a regular thing. At least once a season, if not twice a season, we'd meet him in Leinster or St Michael's and talk through new ideas he had. We've maintained contact even since he left Leinster.' Skehan knows many other coaches who have had similar experiences with Lancaster, who also delivered lots of coaching seminars to bigger groups in UCD or Donnybrook. On occasion, Lancaster would bring in young players to ensure there was a practical element on the pitch. When Covid struck, Lancaster took the seminars online and spread his enthusiasm for the game even wider. 'Not only are Connacht getting someone who I think will advance their cause massively at senior level, but he will have an influence across the province into their age-grade teams, pathway, even the community level,' says Skehan. 'One of Stuart's greatest strengths is that he's technically and tactically very astute, but he also has an unbelievable understanding of leadership, culture, and community.' Leinster players who were interested in improving their leadership got used to Lancaster sending them videos, slideshows, and books on the topic. He would sit down with individuals to discuss their personal style of leading. But as Connacht's squad will soon find out, Lancaster is not into leading players by the hand. Team meetings in a Lancaster set-up are not just one-way. Lancaster during his last season with Leinster. Ben Brady / INPHO Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO 'You have to come with an opinion,' says Tracy. 'He wants you to understand why you did things in training or a game, why things worked or went wrong. You're not just turning up to be spoon-fed. 'Instead of telling you, 'You did this wrong, do this instead,' he'll ask you, 'What were you thinking here?' 'It means you don't just have the cop out of, 'Sorry, I was wrong' or 'Sorry, I made a mistake' because that doesn't fix anything. 'If you can get to the root of that issue in a team meeting in front of everyone, it makes you vulnerable but it makes you think more about why you made decisions.' Lancaster would task individual players with leading focused meetings. For example, young openside flanker Scott Penny would lead a breakdown preview ahead of the weekend's game. Penny would go away and work with the Leinster analysts to compile footage of the opposition's strengths and weaknesses around the breakdown, then guide his own team-mates through it in a meeting. The same happened with the scrum, the lineout, and other areas of the game. Lancaster and the other Leinster coaches obviously mixed in their views, but the Englishman wanted the players to know their stuff. 'So then when we were in pressure situations, we understood what to do because we were part of making that plan and understood how the opposition set up,' says Tracy. There was a constant focus on technical improvement too. 'He felt our catch-pass skills needed to be the best in the world if we were going to be able to play a possession-based game,' says Tracy. 'We needed to get better under fatigue.' So Lancaster would come into the gym with a bag of rugby balls while Leinster's players were lifting weights. In between sets, he'd start a countdown timer and get them to do handling drills under fatigue, challenging them not to drop a single ball in the two-minute blocks. Lancaster would make as much noise as possible to add more pressure. Lancaster with Connacht captain Cian Prendergast and CEO Willie Ruane. Tom Maher / INPHO Tom Maher / INPHO / INPHO He also brought in the tennis ball machine, which allowed players to work on their hand-eye coordination outside of the actual on-pitch sessions. The ball would come at high speed and players had to use 'soft hands' to catch it, releasing the tension from their hands so the ball didn't just bounce away. He would send players clips of best practice from other sports. Many of Leinster's backs remember the footage Lancaster shared with them of Frank Lampard and other top footballers scanning the pitch when they weren't in possession. They were incessantly scanning all around them before receiving the ball to build a picture of the opportunities once they were in possession. Lancaster wanted them to do the same on the rugby pitch. Lancaster, a former teacher, is the epitome of a coach with a growth mindset. Connacht's players will enjoy the challenges he poses them. He's a caring coach, but a demanding one too. And his time in Leinster suggests that it won't only be the Connacht players who benefit from Lancaster's arrival. Skehan cites Joe Schmidt as a strong influence on the grassroots game when he was in Leinster, but reckons no one has matched Lancaster in that regard. 'Stuart's influence was huge,' says Skehan. 'From a grassroots to a pathway level, I think Stuart is probably most influential at that level. There's obviously a good case for him also being the most influential at the senior professional level. 'So Connacht have got a professional senior coach, but they've also got an incredible influencer on the community and pathway and development game that feeds into that.'
Extra.ie
05-06-2025
- Sport
- Extra.ie
Connacht lost their way after Pro12 triumph in 2016. Lancaster can bring the glory days back to Galway
There was a serious buzz around Connacht HQ yesterday. The new high-performance centre is up and running. A new 7,000-capacity North Stand isn't far from completion and the new head coach was doing the rounds. It's been a few days since Stuart Lancaster was announced as the province's new supremo but there is still an element of shock and giddy excitement among the fanbase. It's been a few days since Stuart Lancaster was announced as the province's new supremo but there is still an element of shock and giddy excitement among the fanbase. Pic: INPHO/Tom Maher Along with Joe Schmidt, the affable Englishman is arguably the most influential coach to grace these shores. And now he's back for a second chapter with Connacht. Lancaster did phenomenal work during his seven-season stay with Leinster. It wasn't just on the training pitch where he had a major impact. Players and staff still speak about the influence he had on the culture of the environment while Lancaster is revered by club and schools coaches for his time and dedication to the grassroots. He was incredibly generous with his time and saw the value in bringing young coaches into the inner sanctum. It merely reinforces the feeling that the former Leinster head coach can reinvigorate an operation which has lost its way in recent times. Lancaster was on site at Dexcom Stadium yesterday and gave his first media interview. He spoke of Connacht having a 'sense of identity' as one of his major goals. And that's the big project for the 55-year-old in the coming months and years. Lancaster knows that this Connacht reboot won't be an overnight success, but the foundations are strong. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile A sense of identity has been the missing link for quite some time. What have Connacht stood for and hoped to achieve in recent seasons? At times, this squad hasn't looked especially organised or motivated in big games. Too often, Connacht checked out long before the final whistle. In truth, the club has been on the wane since Pat Lam departed in the summer of 2017. Andy Friend brought consistency, direction and good vibes during his stint as head coach. The likeable Aussie bookended the fairly disastrous reigns of Kieran Keane and the recently departed Pete Wilkins. Pic: INPHO/Tom Maher Lancaster is a different level. He will bring world class coaching to the field. He will streamline the pathway from grassroots to the senior setup. He will challenge the playing group to evolve. He will inject a much-needed boost of adrenaline into the entire setup. Most importantly, the presence of Lancaster at the forefront of the coaching ticket might encourage a few more fringe players at rival provinces to make the move out west. Connacht has always been Ireland's development province. It hasn't felt like that for a while, however. If anything, the other provinces – who have superior resources – have been benefiting more from Connacht than the other way around. Tom Farrell, Diarmuid Kilgallen and Andrew Smith have all left to join Munster. All three have won rave reviews down in Thomond Park. It harks back to a time when a host of quality players were leaving in their droves. Robbie Henshaw, Mike McCarthy, Fionn Carr, Sean Cronin and Jamie Hagan all left Connacht in a short spell of time to pursue new opportunities with Leinster and Munster. It was a kick in the teeth for the fanbase at the time. With Lancaster on board, the hope is that the flow of players will be in the opposite direction. There's been a worrying turnover in the Connacht squad, season on season. The province desperately needs a bit of stability. The current squad is a bit imbalanced. Connacht have an abundance of riches in certain departments. Scrum-half is one such position, with Ben Murphy, Caolin Blade and Matthew Devine battling it out for game time. But the playing group looks worryingly shallow in other positions. Connacht could benefit from some reinforcements in the summer. Perhaps Lancaster could convince a few fringe Leinster players to head west? Will Connors has been approached about moving to Connacht in the past but the Leinster openside declined the province's advances. Maybe his head might be turned now that his former mentor is at the helm? Connors has only featured for Leinster eight times this season and he has struggled to break into the matchday 23 on big Champions Cup days. He would be a smash hit in Galway. The likes of Brian Deeny and Alex Soroka could benefit from a move, too. Academy prospects such as promising out-half Casper Gabriel, hooker Stephen Smyth – who will tour with Ireland next month – and young loosehead prop Alex Usanov are other Leinster players on the periphery who could thrive at Connacht. Max Clein, Sean Edogbo, Michael Foy and Gordon Wood are a clutch of Munster rookies who would benefit from a few years in Galway. If Leinster, Munster and Ulster fringe players begin to move towards Connacht in the next few years then Lancaster's project will be a huge success. Players need to start seeing Connacht as an alternative route into the national setup when they are struggling for exposure at their home province. Ben Murphy is a great recent example of a player who took a gamble early in his career and made the switch. Murphy is reaping the rewards and is likely to win his first Test cap for Ireland next month. The perfect template for Connacht is a batch of homegrown players, supplemented by arrivals from rival provinces with a smattering of high-quality overseas recruits. The Connacht squad which claimed Pro12 glory in 2016 was the perfect example. The team had hometown heroes such as Tiernan O'Halloran (Clifden), Robbie Henshaw (Athlone), Ronan Loughney, Eoin McKeon (both Galway) and John Muldoon (Portumna), while Matt Healy and Niyi Adeolokun were talented wings who had fallen through the cracks in the Leinster system. AJ McGinty, Kieran Marmion and Ultan Dillane also took the scenic route to Connacht. Bundee Aki, Tom McCartney, Aly Muldowny and Jake Heenan were smart, high-quality NIQ signings. This was a group which tore a star-studded Leinster to shreds in that memorable Pro12 final at Murrayfield nine years ago. It will take a bit of time but Lancaster's Connacht will be built on similar foundations. This is win-win for everyone. Connacht and the IRFU stand to benefit from Lancaster's presence. The Westerners have looked rudderless for too long. Finishing 13th in the URC standings, missing out on the playoffs and Champions Cup rugby is simply not good enough. The only way is up and, luckily, the province have a serious operator overseeing the rebuild. Lancaster will lean on the likes of Aki, Mack Hansen, Finlay Bealham and Cian Prendergast to lead by example. Connacht have a young squad brimming with potential. Now, they have world class facilities, a proper stadium and a proven head coach. There's hasn't been much to shout about in Connacht for quite some time. That's about to change. The West is about to wake up.
