Paris (AFP) - Stuart Lancaster will leave his post as Leinster's senior coach with "his prestige in the sport way beyond" what it was when he stepped down as England coach after the 2015 Rugby World Cup debacle, Irish rugby great Tony Ward has told AFP.
Lancaster will be at French side Racing 92 next term but the 52-year-old Englishman hopes to round off his seven-year spell in Dublin with the Champions Cup and United Rugby Championship (URC) double.
First, though, four-time Champions Cup winners Leinster -- who will be without their injured talisman Johnny Sexton -- must get past Toulouse, who have lifted the trophy a record five times, in their semi-final at Lansdowne Road on Saturday.
The winners will play whoever comes out on top in Sunday's semi-final between defending champions La Rochelle -- who beat Leinster in the 2022 final -- and the 2020 winners Exeter.
Ward, widely regarded as one of Ireland's finest fly-halves, says Lancaster can leave with his head held high and his reputation restored after the low of England's first-round exit from the World Cup they were hosting.
His assistants in 2015, Andy Farrell and Mike Catt, have found the Irish air just as re-invigorating -- the former guiding, with the latter as an assistant, Ireland to the Six Nations Grand Slam.
By going to Leinster in 2016, "Lancaster took a massive step down from coaching the England team at the Rugby World Cup," Ward told AFP by phone.
"But by God his prestige within world rugby is way beyond when he left England in those horrible circumstances in 2015."
Ward says that although Lancaster's haul of one Champions Cup and four URC crowns looks light, it does not reflect the progress the team have made under him and head coach Leo Cullen.
"It is disappointing that they have not got the optimum return in terms of the Champions Cup trophies," Ward said.
"To my mind not a fair reward for the quality of the rugby that we witnessed.It has been a joy to behold, just a pleasure to watch.
"It is funny in this professional age, winning now is the be all and end all.
"Generally the only way to shut the critics up is to win.(The coaches) have it really tough."
'Huge weight'
Ward points out that Lancaster can be credited too for a role in Ireland's success under Farrell -- 12 of the starting XV in their Grand Slam-sealing win over England were from Leinster.
"Leinster and Ireland's success is not just a fluke or coincidence," said 68-year-old Ward, who won the inaugural European player of the year award in 1979.
"They are succeeding due to Stuart maximising the bountiful talent that is coming through.
"Stuart is central to Ireland and Leinster's success.
"One thing we know is Stuart is no pushover.This establishes mutual respect."
Dashing former Ireland and British and Irish Lions fullback Hugo MacNeill says Lancaster will leave a legacy that lasts longer than a trophy's year-long lifetime.
"He has drawn on the immense amount of talent coming from the Leinster schools system and guided them successfully through the tough transition into becoming equally good senior players," MacNeill told AFP.
"That is not a given.Due to that Leinster has just gradually got stronger and stronger each year.
"He played a huge role in that and he deserves the accolades."
MacNeill says the young players could not have wished for a more suitable person than Lancaster to mentor them.
"Stuart is a good people person, he is trusted," said 64-year-old MacNeill.
"He has no ego and people like him and respect him.He has a huge amount of character."
MacNeill adds that Lancaster too deserved a change of fortune.
"One of his sons asked after the World Cup, when was his luck going to change?" he said.
"Thus seeing him in Bilbao after Leinster beat Racing in the 2018 Champions Cup Final, he looked like a contented man who had had a huge weight lifted off his shoulders.
"However, reflecting his humility even in the moment of triumph he was not pushing forward, he was just standing back."
