The stat Stuart Lancaster believes ‘shows the progression and development’ Connacht have made
Connacht boss Stuart Lancaster with Ireland pick Sean Jansen and, inset, Leinster boss Leo Cullen
Stuart Lancaster knows Leinster better than most and is well aware of just how tough it is to beat them, but that is precisely what he will be aiming to do as he guides Connacht into what he says will be an “amazing occasion” in Galway this weekend.
The former England head coach spent seven years working with the players at Leinster, helping them win four league titles and the Champions Cup. Now he’s at the helm of Connacht and looking for his first win against his former charges after two defeats during his opening season with the west of Ireland province.
“It’s a huge game for a whole variety of reasons, not least the league table, never mind anything else,” he said. “But obviously it’s our first interpro and we are really looking forward to it. We played Leinster twice last year and they beat us twice and were very good on both occasions. We know they are the benchmark really.
“It’s a game we are hugely excited about and we know we will need to be at our best because they managed to beat us comfortably at the Aviva and then, even on the emotional night that it was here for the opening of the Dexcom, they did the job as well.
“Challenge for us is to narrow the gap…”
“They didn’t have all the internationals playing, but they still managed to have the composure, the experience and the quality to beat us in the last 20 minutes. Obviously, I know them all very well there. There’s a huge amount of respect coming from my way to Leinster. I’m hugely respectful of the coaching team and the players as well, so it’s a big week. It’s going to be an amazing occasion.”
Connacht’s winless run against Leinster goes back way before Lancaster’s arrival last year. They haven’t beaten the Dublin-based outfit since January 2021, enduring a 13-game losing streak.
On the chances of ending that barren spell on Friday night, Lancaster said: “It’s winnable, but equally we are very respectful of the quality of the opposition we’re playing against. The challenge for us is to narrow the gap between us and them and make sure we put our best foot forward.
“We have made great progress since the last Leinster game. We went on an eight-game winning streak, we got ourselves into the play-offs and into the Champions Cup. We have had a good start in the Champions Cup, so we are doing well now, but Leinster is always a benchmark for everyone.”
Connacht will indeed head into the big Irish derby in fine fettle after their performances over the past couple of weeks. They claimed a notable 45-36 victory over Saracens in the Investec Champions Cup and then beat Zebre Parma 48-27 in the BKT URC last weekend.
That’s 15 tries racked up in their last two matches. Reflecting on the bonus point win over Zebre, Lancaster said: “I thought we played some incredible rugby at times. Obviously, as the defence coach as well as the attack coach, I was a bit disappointed with some of the tries we conceded.
“Zebre deserve some credit, to be fair. They stuck in for the whole game. They attack well and they caught us a couple of times. Overall, you never get everything perfect for 80 minutes, but I think we hit a lot of really good markers.
“Also, we were integrating a number of players who hadn’t played for a while. There were a lot of changes from the previous week, so I was still delighted with how we played. If you had said to me at the start of the day we would get close to 50, I would have taken it for sure. We scored some good tries.”
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Connacht have had further reason to celebrate this past week with eight of their players being included in the Ireland squad for the Nations Championship. “It shows the progression we have made and the development we have made,” said Lancaster. “The boys who are in the Ireland camp, I hope they go well; I hope they get an opportunity and do Connacht proud.”
