Are good coaches born or made? Back when the teenaged Stuart Lancaster was milking his father’s cows on the family farm in Cumbria it never occurred to him that, 30 years on, he would be leading England to a World Cup. As recently as five years ago few outside Leeds knew much about him or his methods. There are still some who prefer to put his rise down to luck and a shortage of alternatives more than anything else.
If only they knew. Lancaster has been working towards this moment – sometimes obsessively so – all his adult life as a timely new book reminds us. The author, Neil Squires, did not have Lancaster’s blessing for the project but even England’s players will find The House of Lancaster (Yellow Jersey Press, £18.99) an illuminating, thought-provoking read.
Much of the content is familiar to those who have followed Lancaster since he succeeded Martin Johnson in the role. What will surprise some, though, is quite how far Lancaster has spread his net in terms of sourcing ideas, different coaching methods and furthering his own knowledge. Dutch football, rugby league, American gridiron and basketball, British cycling … his England set-up has cherry-picked from them all. Born or made? In Lancaster’s case the answer is, unquestionably, both.
It makes him an ideal role model for younger coaches whose playing ability alone is not going to propel them to sport’s top table. They might also care to draw inspiration from the QBE Coaching Club, an initiative that has just successfully produced 2,015 more Level 2 club coaches and happens to embrace Lancaster’s main passion.
So could any Joe Blow achieve what he has? The wannabes will first need a ferocious work ethic – during his time at Leeds Lancaster would habitually be in his office at 6am, long before his players arrived at 8.30am – and devote himself entirely to self-improvement. “I think anyone can become a better coach if they invest time in themselves,” Lancaster says. “If you’ve got a thirst for knowledge anyone can improve as a coach.”
Lancaster also argues the next generation of coaches are potentially far better equipped than he ever was. “Go back 10 years and, at best, I’d see one or two Six Nations games on television and the analysis wouldn’t be much more than a chat at half-time. Now, because of the way TV has evolved, there are a lot of 16-year-old experts who know more about the game than me. All I had was Don Rutherford coaching cards! When I was at college there was nothing online; I didn’t even have a phone.”
It can help, too, if your own playing days end abruptly. Not unlike Sir Alex Ferguson and Brian Clough, Lancaster was catapulted down the coaching route by a bad knee injury, although his PE teacher background made a difference. “If I hadn’t got injured at 30 I would have definitely carried on playing. It forced my hand to go into coaching earlier and I think the 10,000-hour rule (in terms of mastering something) applies. In a lot of ways things happen for a reason. I loved playing but I probably enjoy coaching more.”
So, in all that time at the chalkface, what has he found the single most difficult aspect of coaching? Ironically it is the precise challenge facing him with England this week: telling players they have missed out on selection. Do not expect a variation on the bedroom lamp trashing episode involving Paul Gascoigne and Glenn Hoddle in 1998. “I won’t have done my job well if there is,” says Lancaster flatly. “You have to give them solutions and never close the door. You have to do it face to face, you can’t fudge that conversation. You have to get the timing and environment right.”
Which is why Lancaster has been sitting down with all 45 of his wider training squad individually this week, whether they are going to feature in his final World Cup 31 or not, explaining his thinking in detail. “It is not good enough to say it’s on gut instinct because players need more than that. If you don’t take the time to know the player and give them feedback that’s where you lose respect as a coach.”
How much of this is directly transferable to Old Rubberduckians – “Got your boots, son? You’re starting” – is a matter for debate but Lancaster, who still helps coach age-group rugby at his local club West Park Leeds, is convinced a link exists. Once his England tenure is done he wants to coach those who, like him, feel the urge to make a difference. “If someone said to me: ‘What is the one thing we should invest more time in?’ I’d say coaching. I would love to be able to influence the quality of coaches in this country, as well as the quantity.” As mentors go, there is none more passionate about his specialist subject.
The QBE Coaching Club is a joint initiative between QBE Insurance and RFU to develop more coaches and, as a result, keep more adult players in the game. Visit www.qbeeurope.com
