To sum up why Leinster have been head and shoulders above the rest in Europe this season, and why they head into Saturday’s Champions Cup final against La Rochelle as favourites, Stuart Lancaster provides the perfect example.
I worked with Stuart during his time with England and his abilities as a coach, first and foremost, were obvious. The problem was he inherited a team that, from a PR and a sporting perspective, had failed at the 2011 World Cup. He took it upon himself to try to change everything, from ensuring the players reconnected with supporters, to overhauling all facets of a team who had underperformed by going out in the quarter-finals.
