Stuart Lancaster has commented on the pressure his England successor Eddie Jones is now currently under
Former England boss Stuart Lancaster has reflected on his four years in charge at Test level, claiming he was fortunate his team were consistent every year in the Six Nations unlike the yo-yo fortunes being experienced by current boss Eddie Jones.
Whereas Lancaster's teams always finished second in the Six Nations, winning four games out of five in each of the four campaigns he was in charge for, England have endured some erratic seasons under Jones.
Although crowned champions in three of his six seasons in charge, England have also suffered two fifth-place finishes and there are questions marks about the longevity of Jones in the role following the most recent campaign where defeat to Ireland left them finishing with only Italy behind them on the table just five months after they clinched the 2020 title win.
Asked about the pressure that surrounds the job of an England coach, Lancaster told The Rugby Pod: "Yeah, there is definitely an expectation. When I started I got the interim job so I had less of that immediate pressure and we won four games out of five that first Six Nations.
"But then we went to South Africa and it was very early in my tenure with a young team, we lost two narrowly and then drew the third. Then we came to the autumn internationals and we lost the first couple and had New Zealand coming around the corner so the media were building this narrative of four games, five games without a win.
"Fortunately we beat New Zealand and you got that breathing space you needed to kick on and the next Six Nations we won four out of five and kept the media at bay so to speak. I was lucky we were that close to nailing it, we won four games out of five every Six Nations so when you are at England and you're coming second bottom, pressure will come on irrespective of what happened in the past and the team are clearly feeling that at the moment."
Despite getting unceremoniously tossed aside following pool stage failure at the 2015 World Cup, current senior Leinster coach Lancaster is immensely proud of his four years in charge which came on the back of a four-year stint working within the RFIU set-up.
"The irony is that if the bonus point for tries had existed I think we would have won two of those (Six Nations)... I look back with regret with what happened at the end (with the World Cup) but with a lot of pride when I see the team doing so well in 2019, the Six Nations 2016 and everything else that came with it and the younger lads who were one cap, two caps when I took over are now 60, 70, 80 caps leading the team.
"I probably would have liked a bit more cohesion going into the World Cup. I would have had one more warm-up game, for sure. I actually met Eddie after the World Cup and one thing I said was one more warm-up game.
"Owen Farrell was injured during the whole of the 2015 Six Nations and (it hindered the) combination between George (Ford) and Owen together, some of the younger players who I knew were going to be talented were still breaking into getting regular slots in their Premiership clubs but overall I felt we were going into it in good shape.
"We had a tough pool and unfortunately we lost a game (to Wales) that if you played many times over you would win it more often than you would lose it and the consequences, well we know what happened."
Intimate gossip about his time as England coach will remain guarded, however, as Lancaster has never felt inclined to open up verbatim on his stint in charge. "I'm quite old-fashioned. A lot of things that go on inside camps, changing rooms and private meetings should remain that way.
"I also believe in keeping my counsel. I'll pass on the lessons learnt to the people I think it's really important to and I have done it to coaches in private settings, I have done it to other sports. I had a call a while ago with Gareth Southgate, the England soccer team, in the lead-up to the World Cup.
"I'd one not so long ago with England netball, England cricket. Of course, you want to pass on what you have learned. It seems illogical to me to have been at the RFU for eight years and not to pass on what I have learned to coaches. That's illogical but I wouldn't use the media as the platform because there is privacy about certain things I would never share anyway."
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Yeah I reckon Savea could show himself to be like McCaw in that respect, remodel himself to play how the team/game needed or changed. He started playing different when he moved into 8 I reckon, and I think he’s got a lot of those skills to shift back to 7 too. But you pretty much describe him as he is now, playing 8. Who’s going to be that dirty guy cleaning rucks and making tackles if Ardie is at 7? Sititi at 8? No, he’s basically doing what you describe of Ardie. Barrett? I think he’d be an excellent muscle man to replace and more importantly, improve on what Cane provided.\
Yeah I’m still wanting to give DP a shot, Super form is not everything, and maybe after a taste of playing against England, possible New Zealands toughest opponents last year, maybe his trying to hone a test game.
It’s not, but it’s terribly complicated for us part timers to discuss are few factors online when all the bigger picture can be taken into context (and which your reader my not be on the same track with). I really like to try and get somewhere succinctly when having a quick back and forth online, which is why I ask a specific question when really no one in that actual position is going to think about it like that, you’re right.
I asked it because I suspected you answer was just along those same lines indicating his strengths now as an 8. So were sorta coming around to your argument of wanting to put the bigger picture on it when I question how you’re going to fit “Cane” into the team.
I really agree with that, but would go even further in saying its improvement from much more than the “trio” that’s needed to be able to bust games open again like that. A lot of it was much better last year, with the props and second row getting involved in some nice breaks, but certainly there was still far too much one out rugby and they were always the worst at getting over the gainline. I’d actually say they need more of a team contributor than Ardiea Savea’s individual brilliance to improve in that area. Ardie is the toughest and most succesful at getting them on the front foot when they are really playing that one out simple hit up or pick and go structure, but I think they need, as I actually referred in the 7, someone running on the shoulder of another, willing to give the player that option and keep the defence guessing. Obviously players carrying need to be comfortable flicking the ball on last second etc, but I actually see Ardie as being someone with the least skills in either of those areas in the current squad. He is perhaps the two pass wide midfield carry man in place of Jordie and Rieko, enough ferocity to break tough midfield tackles and get an offload away if he wins that contact. Now that I think of it, having Ardie in the team may be a key factory in why the team is so poor in showing trickery and deception before the tackle happens, like where other teams prefer to work space. I’ve never really thought the ABs simply have the worst runners?
Sotutu is a key man in that area of the game for me, he is the one player in NZ that is so adept at passing to the right runner. Kirifi would be perfect for being that guy as far as a loosie option for me, as far as this article goes. Sititi as the alround runner and distribute from the bench, and Ardie being able to play in whatever role is missing, or needed more, are how I can see some of the other ‘trio’ facets working too.
To add, going back to you orginal post, and what you repeated;
I suspect you are talking about people being able to take it into the tackle and then recycle it sorta thing before going to ground. I’m pretty sure were doing this to the best of our ability right now, and only some selections like Sotutu are going to impact that area. Again, what I’ve been thinking is we actually need smarter people to provide better go forward, not better benders/breakers/offloaders (who are these people? Three Ardies?!). Were definitely still going to need that Sam Cane contribution as well, but can it come from the midfield instead? Timico? The wingers? And can Ardie be the guy whos adept enough to flick between that and being a good support runner or offload, as needed?
Go to commentsFrance using the 7-1, England using the 6-2, Ireland and Scotland have used it a few times as well and many nations are starting to adopt it. The reality is the game is changing. Administrators have made it faster and that is leading to more significant drop offs in the forwards. You have 2 options. Load your bench with forwards or alter your player conditioning which might mean more intense conditioning for forwards and a drop off in bulk. The game can still be played many ways. Every nation needs to adapt in their own way to suit their strengths. France have followed the Springbok model of tight forwards being preferred because it suits them. They have huge hunks of meat and the bench is as good as the starters so why not go for it? The Springboks have also used hybrids like Kwagga Smith, Schalk Britz, Deon Fourie, Franco Mostert and others. England are following that model instead and by putting 3 loosies there who can do damage in defence and make the breakdown a mess in the final quarter. It worked well against Wales but will be interested to see how it goes going forward against better opposition who can threaten their lineout and scrum. All the talk around bench limitations to stop the 7-1 and 6-2 for me is nonsense. Coaches who refuse to innovate want to keep the game the same and make it uniform and sameness is bad for fans. The bench composition adds jeopardy and is a huge debate point for fans who love it. Bench innovations have not made the game worse, they have made it better and more watchable. They challenge coaches and teams and that’s what fans want. What we need now is more coaches to innovate. There is still space for the 5-3 or even a 4-4 if a coach is willing to take it on and play expansive high tempo possession-based rugby with forwards who are lean and mean and backs who are good over the ball. The laws favour that style more than ever before. Ireland are too old to do it now. Every team needs to innovate to best suit their style and players so I hope coaches and pundits stop moaning about forwards and benches and start to find different ways to win.
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