Published on Monday 13 February 2012 10:00
From the moment Stuart Lancaster was asked to take on the role of interim head coach of England’s rugby union team, he has impressed. No, more than that, he has excelled.
The way in which this former Leeds Carnegie man has handled both himself and his team has been a revelation.
Sure, there is still much work to be done on the field of play with regard this nation’s union fortunes, but for Lancaster, the job of leading his country was always going to be about so much more than simply getting results.
After a calamitous World Cup campaign which saw Martin Johnson’s much-fancied side return home early and in disgrace following poor form on and off the field, the rebuilding job for whoever took over was always going to be massive.
Many felt a big name would be needed to sort out the issues. Someone like Jake White or Graham Henry; someone who had the experience of leading a nation and, I suppose, who would need only wave their magic wand to make England great again.
Unfortunately, with Johnson gone, there was nobody either willing or available to step in immediately and the RFU had little option but to bide their time and wait for the right man.
When Lancaster was asked to step in, it was believed by most, if not all, that his role would simply be as caretaker, steadying the ship, settling things down and then preparing things for the next ‘big name’ to take the reins.
Lancaster, it was presumed, would then slip back into the RFU backwaters of youth development. Whether he succeeded or not was not important, he was only the stand-in.
The man himself, as you would expect, felt somewhat differently.
This was an opportunity.
With English rugby at its lowest ebb for more than a decade, Lancaster quickly realised that rather than being on a hiding to nothing, he was actually looking at something of a win-win scenario.
Indeed, rather than just taking things on as they were and simply ‘holding shop’ like a market trader covering for a pal on lunch break, he realised that he could actually make an impact. Why not try a few new things? What did he have to lose? Things could certainly not get any worse.
His refreshing approach to press conferences, to training methods and in the way he courts the media, coupled with the undoubted enthusiasm that he displays for the job, have given this nation’s rugby union set-up a real boost.
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