Latest news with #StuartLancaster
Extra.ie
19 hours ago
- 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.
Irish Times
a day ago
- General
- Irish Times
Which Ireland players will step up for the summer squad while the Lions are away?
It may be URC semi-final week, but the rugby news cycle has been dominated by events away from Leinster. Connacht have pulled off a big-name managerial signing by securing the services of Stuart Lancaster, while Paul O'Connell has named his Ireland squad for the summer tour of Georgia and Portugal. With the Lions contingent away in Australia, this tour will be vital for plugging the gaps and filling areas of weakness as we start to inch towards another World Cup. Gerry Thornley joins Nathan Johns to discuss all this while looking at why Leinster's URC playoff run appears to be struggling to capture the public imagination. Produced by John Casey.
Irish Independent
2 days ago
- General
- Irish Independent
Cian Tracey: How Stuart Lancaster's move to Connacht can reawaken a sleeping giant out west
When Stuart Lancaster and his wife Nina travelled to Galway just over seven weeks ago to watch their son Dan help his dad's former Racing 92 team knock Connacht out of the Challenge Cup, little did they know that the west of Ireland would soon become home.
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Ireland finish behind Slovenia despite victory in Cork
Despite losing 1-0 to their hosts, it was mission accomplished for Slovenia at Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Tuesday evening, Ireland finishing level on points with their visitors in their Nations League group, but behind on goal difference. Slovenia are, then, promoted to League A, but if Carla Ward's charges are to join them, they must win a play-off in October, the draw for which takes place on Friday. ' There is still a lot of work to do, but the future is bright ,' the manager insisted after, Gavin Cummiskey reporting from Cork and Malachy Clerkin rating the players . A few miles down the road from Páirc Uí Chaoimh, champagne might well have been flowing. Muireann Duffy spoke with Ringmahon Rangers chairman Paul Higgins after confirmation of their former player Caoimhín Kelleher's move from Liverpool to Brentford . The deal could eventually be worth €21 million - and 20 per cent of that will go to Ringmahon. Jackpot. Gavin, meanwhile, looks ahead to the men's friendly against Senegal on Friday, when Troy Parrott, Adam Idah and Evan Ferguson will hope to be among the goals, and we also hear from midfielder Jason Knight and assistant manager John O'Shea ahead of the game. In rugby, Gerry Thornley reports on something of a coup for Connacht, namely the appointment of Stuart Lancaster as coach , and he also looks at the likely inclusions in the Irish squad that will be named today for the upcoming Tests away to Georgia and Portugal. READ MORE Albert Heenop brings a very, very alternative view from South Africa on the carry-on of Jaden Hendrikse and co during the URC shoot-out against Munster. 'The game needs entertainers, like Hendrikse, even if they occasionally ruffle some feathers,' he writes. 'Textbook 'shithousery',' is how Gordon D'Arcy describes it in his column. 'That unapologetic, win-at-all-costs mentality is woven into the DNA of South African rugby ,' he says. Under defence coach Jacques Nienaber, Leinster 'will have tried to adopt some of that Springbok edge'. It will be tested by Glasgow Warriors on Saturday, James Ryan raring to go in the URC semi-final after an injury-interrupted season. In Gaelic football, Darragh Ó Sé writes about the game's great 'decision-makers', like Michael Murphy, Con O'Callaghan, David Clifford and Rory Grugan . 'They're worth their weight in gold to their managers,' he says, the absence of O'Callaghan against Armagh on Sunday playing no small part in a 'fiasco' of a performance by Dublin. In hurling, Gordon Manning talks to former Leinster rugby hopeful and now Laois captain David Dooley ahead of Sunday's Joe McDonagh Cup final against Kildare, and he also has a word with Kilkenny's Adrian Mullen in the build-up to the Leinster final against Galway. 'Munster hurling finals always come with the blessings of posterity and tradition, whereas Leinster bear the burdens of pale comparison ,' writes Seán Moran in his column. Still, you'd imagine Kilkenny and Galway will be quite up for it. TV Watch : TNT Sports continues its French Open coverage today, and there are four highly tasty quarter-finals to enjoy - Madison Keys v Coco Gauff, Mirra Andreeva v Lois Boisson, Jannik Sinner v Alexander Bublik and Alexander Zverev v some lad called Novak Djokovic. Later, Virgin Media Three has the Nations League semi-final between Germany and Portugal (8.0).
Extra.ie
3 days ago
- Business
- Extra.ie
Ireland's World Cup hopes just got a massive boost
Irish rugby is in a strange place at the moment. The national side has fallen off where it was a couple of years ago, appearing uncertain in style and selection and with core players looking like their best years may be behind them. Finlay Bealham and Peter O'Mahony celebrate victory over New Zealand on the 2022 tour where Ireland made history with a series win. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile Between November 2021 and November 2023, it is no exaggeration to say that Ireland were setting the standards in world rugby and the rest were following. They have been caught. Lions selection notwithstanding, the likes of Jamison Gibson-Park, Bundee Aki, James Lowe and Tadhg Furlong (battling persistent injury issues) have not been as effective as in the past and, with all headed for their mid-30s, it creates considerable doubt around Ireland's prospects of ending their quarter-final curse at Australia 2027. Ireland stars Bundee Aki, James Lowe and Jamison Gibson-Park are now well into their mid-30s. INPHO/Dan Sheridan Added to this have been the struggles at provincial level. Ulster, Munster and Connacht are in the doldrums while Leinster, despite intoxicating resources, are lacking clear direction and seem riddled by insecurity. The good news is: there is time to put it right. The next World Cup is still over two years away and Ireland has had enough of being top of the pile midway between tournaments only to flop when it actually matters. Stuart Lancaster had a difficult time as head Coach of Racing 92. Pic: Getty Images So, the news that Stuart Lancaster is to take over Connacht rugby could not have come at a better time. Though he never sought it, Lancaster has become something of a messiah within the game here, a wisdom-dispensing guru with the ability to elevate the ordinary to the exceptional. Casual observers might see the 55-year-old's move from senior coach at Leinster, one of Europe's elite sides for more than a decade, to head coach at Top14 strugglers Racing 92 to Connacht as something of a downward spiral – it is far from it. Leinster's Senior Coach Stuart Lancaster and Head Coach Leo Cullen enjoyed huge success. Pic: INPHO/Dan Sheridan True, the western province has traditionally lagged behind the 'big three' of Leinster, Munster and Ulster but Pat Lam (and to a lesser extent Andy Friend) proved that, with the right man in charge, Connacht can have a serious impact. And Lancaster is the right man. Not only a superb on-field coach and tactician, the Englishman also has a proven record of creating the right culture. That includes his time with England, which is often dismissed because of how it ended at the 2015 World Cup but prior to that, Lancaster had forged an excellent environment out of the ashes of ill-discipline at the 2011 World Cup. Connacht's former head coach Pat Lam and Bundee Aki with the Pro12 trophy in 2016. Pic:INPHO/James Crombie When Leo Cullen brought him to Leinster in 2016, they were in a poor state after the tricky Matt O'Connor reign and, freed from front of house scrutiny by Cullen, Lancaster transformed the Blues into a trophy-winning machine. He will not have the resources to the do the same with Connacht but he is guaranteed to get them humming again. However, it is the wider context that makes this development so encouraging. The likes of Josh van der Flier developed hugely under Lancaster at Leinster. Pic: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile Lancaster's influence during his 2016-2023 spell with Leinster had far-reaching repercussions. The players who came through under his tutelage brought world-class quality onto the interna-tional stage and, when Ireland also began to mirror the style of play fostered by Lancaster at Leinster, they really hit their straps. When Ireland were excelling in that 2021-23 period, Lancaster's fingerprints were over all of it. If there is Connacht talent that can help the national cause, Lancaster will develop it and his presence alone will attract better players out west. Cian Prendergast is one of Connacht's brightest talents. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile With only four professional franchises, the IRFU need all of them funnelling a steady stream of quality options onto the national stage and that has not been the case for Munster, Ulster or Connacht in recent seasons. Lancaster will be embraced and adored by the defiantly optimistic Connacht faithful and his style of expansive, have a crack, 'comfortable in chaos' rugby suits the mentality out west and was something Lam and Friend tapped into successfully. It is unclear how much an influence IRFU high performance director David Humphreys had in this appointment but it had to be signed off on and there is no doubt Irish rugby stands to benefit hugely from it. IRFU Performance Director David Humphreys. Pic: INPHO/Ben Brady Lancaster's arrival may make some in the unconvincing Ireland coaching roles shift uneasily in their seats because he is a lot of voltage on the Irish rugby ticket and, depending on how he goes with Connacht, there may be a desire to bring him onboard for the World Cup. But if that is what needs to happen, so be it. Forty years of World Cup failure means everything is on the table and no-one is safe, or ruled out. It is going to be fascinating to see how this all plays out, but one thing is certain – having Stuart Lancaster back in the Irish system is a massive step in the right direction.
