{"id":603793,"date":"2026-05-25T23:47:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-25T23:47:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/603793\/"},"modified":"2026-05-25T23:47:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-25T23:47:11","slug":"stuart-lancaster-on-taking-on-his-son-we-wont-talk-rugby-for-a-week","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/603793\/","title":{"rendered":"Stuart Lancaster on taking on his son \u2014 \u2018We won\u2019t talk rugby for a week\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Driven by undimmed passion for his craft, Stuart Lancaster has been around the block in coaching. He has both the scar tissue and the glowing endorsements to prove as much. But only a few months ago, in February of this year, the 56-year-old needed to devise a brand new rule. Before a first-ever match against his son, Dan, the pair resolved to suspend their regular conversations about work \u2014 that is to say, rugby \u2014 for\u00a0a week.<\/p>\n

As it turned out, Glasgow Warriors were edged out in Galway despite dazzling moments from Lancaster Jr. Dan set up two\u00a0Kyle Rowe tries; the first with a pass zipped from right to left, the second by a delicate, left-to-right cross-kick. A last-gasp lineout drive, however, completed a 15-10 comeback victory for Connacht.<\/p>\n

This was perhaps the ideal outcome for Nina, Dan\u2019s mum and Stuart\u2019s wife. It also continued a Connacht resurgence comprising eight wins from nine United Rugby Championship (URC) fixtures to reach the quarter-finals. There, thanks in part to another tidy performance from Dan against Ulster to keep Warriors top of the table, they will face Glasgow. And so rugby chats between the Lancaster men have been halted again. Dan\u2019s dog and other family matters have been on the agenda instead.<\/p>\n

\"StuartLancaster, then Leinster assistant coach, celebrates winning the Champions Cup in 2018 with wife Nina and son DanDavid Rogers\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s our way of protecting each other,\u201d explains Stuart. \u201cDan can look his team-mates in the eye and say we haven\u2019t spoken. He knows as much about my coaching as anyone, really \u2014 I\u2019ve coached him since he was six years old.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s probably harder for my wife, Nina, which is similar to the Farrell dynamic when it\u2019s been Andy against Owen with poor Colleen stuck in the middle. You just get into professional mode, don\u2019t you? We\u2019re going to prepare to beat Glasgow and Glasgow are going to prepare to beat us. You put everything else to one side.\u201d<\/p>\n

Friday night at Scotstoun should be compelling. Connacht\u2019s run, aided by the opening of their new three-tier Clan Stand at Dexcom Stadium, has featured a 33-24 defeat of Stormers in Cape Town and other excellent results. Just 12 points were conceded across consecutive bonus-point triumphs over Munster and Edinburgh, epitomising a blend of defensive toughness and attacking intuition. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Lancaster suggests that \u201cpieces of the jigsaw are falling into place\u201d for his team, which is underpinned by a healthy balance. Gnarled figures such as Finlay Bealham and Bundee Aki are supplementing those in their mid-twenties, like Sean Jansen and Cian Prendergast, as fresher faces emerge.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce you\u2019ve got that belief it becomes self-fulfilling, really,\u201d Lancaster adds. \u201cThe energy gets behind the team and young players keep ripping in. Players who have been there a while elevate their performances and the senior boys add value. It becomes the perfect cocktail.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ConnachtLancaster is as enthused by coaching as ever, enjoying younger players coming through at ConnachtThomas Flinkow\/Sportsfile via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Among these intrepid academy products are loose-head prop Billy Bohan and outside centre Harry West. With Connacht losing veterans like Jack Carty and Denis Buckley, Lancaster has signed the Leinster duo of Will Connors and Ciar\u00e1n Frawley for next season as well as Francois van Wyk from Bath as a mentor for Bohan.<\/p>\n

He viewed Connacht as an exciting project before arriving last summer on a two-year contract that will expire before the World Cup merry-go-round; a situation worth monitoring. \u201cI enjoy developing young players and trying to rebuild teams and turn them around,\u201d Lancaster says. \u201cThat\u2019s what I\u2019ve always done.\u201d<\/p>\n

Racing 92, his previous role, finished in disappointment though not disillusion. There was no hesitance in \u201cgetting back on the horse\u201d. The rhythms of club coaching suit Lancaster and he had far more to offer. \u201cI never lost any enthusiasm,\u201d he insists.<\/p>\n

\"StuartLancaster says the family\u2019s curious rugby dynamic \u201cis probably harder\u201d for his wife, NinaAndrew Downes\/Inpho<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Racing experience, in a lot of ways, was great. There was obviously a disappointing end because I feel it was a four-year project and turnarounds take longer than 18 months. But it didn\u2019t damage my desire to coach again. It was just finding the right opportunity at the right time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Having left Paris in February 2025, Lancaster interviewed to succeed Joe Schmidt as Wallabies head coach. Rugby Australia plumped for Les Kiss, but Lancaster is relishing the \u201cgreat energy\u201d in Galway. Rather than commuting from Leeds, as was the case at Leinster while his daughter Sophie and Dan were teenagers, the former England honcho has settled on the Atlantic coast with Nina. Lancaster believes \u201cyou have to be all in\u201d and is wholeheartedly committed, tapping into Connacht\u2019s identity as perennial underdogs.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not a chip on the shoulder, but I think there\u2019s definitely a defiance about the west of Ireland generally,\u201d he explains. \u201cOne of the things we talk about is the history of the west of Ireland, how it\u2019s a tough place and we want to make it a tough place to come and win. Anyone who\u2019s played against Connacht would know that, but then you layer in a team playing good rugby who defend with passion and intensity with a sea of green behind it in the Clan Stand.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ConnachtLancaster led Connacht to eighth in the URC, two points above Ulster, and a place in Europe\u2019s top competition next seasonTom O\u2019Hanlon\/Inpho<\/p>\n

Connacht will be back in the Champions Cup next season following Montpellier\u2019s thumping of Ulster in the Challenge Cup final. To progress to a URC semi-final this year, which could be in South Africa or Munster, Lancaster must oust his son again. Dan\u2019s own story demonstrates perseverance amid the innate challenges of Yorkshire lacking a Prem team.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Having come through the ranks of West Park RFC, where Stuart coached him, Dan was picked for England Under-20 while affiliated to Leeds Tykes in the third tier. That put him in the same age-grade cohort as Arthur Clark, Jack van Poortvliet, Raffi Quirke, Fin Smith, Seb Atkinson and Tom Roebuck, all of whom are now capped. Joe Carpenter, the Sale Sharks full back, was a West Park team-mate too, and remains a good friend.<\/p>\n

Dan started all five matches of an under-20 grand slam at inside centre, yet bounced between Leicester Tigers, Ealing Trailfinders and Bond University on the Gold Coast of Australia. At Racing, Owen Farrell\u2019s injury issues gave him unexpected opportunities and he ended up playing 21 Top 14 matches, including a 36-31 win over Bordeaux B\u00e8gles when his opposite man was Matthieu Jalibert. That game came after his dad\u2019s departure, helping Racing spare themselves from the drop and demonstrating serious mettle.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it was probably harder for him seeing me under pressure than the other way round, but Dan was pretty good at compartmentalising it and playing well,\u201d Stuart says. \u201cObviously, it would have been tough for him to see me [under pressure] because we were inconsistent. The Top 14 is a different dynamic with relegation and the home and away records of teams. It was a challenging job.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dan was \u201ccut late\u201d by Racing despite being told his deal would be extended, leading him to Glasgow before the present campaign. Having also represented Scotland at age-group level, as his father did, it was a sensible fit. Even so, as Stuart says, Dan still needed to \u201crebuild his credibility and develop new relationships\u201d. The latter has held off Montpellier-bound Adam Hastings to become Glasgow\u2019s front-line No10. After coming off the bench for Scotland A against Italy earlier this year, he is very much on national head coach Gregor Townsend\u2019s radar.<\/p>\n

\"DanLancaster makes a break against Toulon last month \u2014 his good form may put him in contention to represent Scotland David Rogers\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cDan\u2019s quite rightly now seen as an experienced, talented player and that\u2019s what he is,\u201d Stuart says. \u201cWe hope he can continue to enjoy playing and push for international honours.\u201d<\/p>\n

Seven years with Leinster means Lancaster Sr covets close connections with numerous Irish players, joking that it feels like he has sons all over the country. He was hugely invested in the Champions Cup final as many of his long-time prot\u00e9g\u00e9s took on Bordeaux.<\/p>\n

Lancaster has always devoured sports books\u00a0and was particularly interested to read the autobiography of decorated rugby league coach Ivan Cleary, who has overseen immense success for Penrith Panthers in Australia with his son Nathan as the star player.<\/p>\n

\u201cCleary writes that 99 per cent of the time, you see your son as a player,\u201d explains Lancaster. \u201cThen there is 1 per cent of the time when you see him as your son, more so when you\u2019re watching them for another team and it\u2019s out of your control.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf Connacht don\u2019t have a game, Nina or I will try to get to Scotstoun to watch him. That\u2019s when you see him as your son rather than a player. It\u2019s different, but you\u2019re still supportive and Dan will still ask for feedback.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Lancasters\u2019 ban on rugby talk will expire at the final whistle of Connacht\u2019s meeting with Glasgow. There will be a fascinating 80 minutes to discuss.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Glasgow v Connacht<\/p>\n

URC quarter-final
Friday, 7.45pm.
TV Premier Sports<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Driven by undimmed passion for his craft, Stuart Lancaster has been around the block in coaching. He has…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":603794,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[5903,101,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-603793","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-rugby","tag-rugby","tag-sports","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/603793","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=603793"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/603793\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/603794"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=603793"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=603793"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=603793"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}