WHEN THE GLASGOW Warriors out-half got possession inside halfway and feigned a kick to the right corner, the only person in Dexcom Stadium on Saturday who knew what was coming next could do little about it because he was seated in the Connacht coaching box.
Stuart Lancaster could only look on with a mixture of dread and admiration as his son Dan executed a perfect cross-kick with the outside of his boot which was fielded in the air by Kyle Rowe, who came in off his wing to take possession and skip past two tackles to put Glasgow 10-3 in front with 13 minutes to go.
“I knew what was coming,” said the Connacht head coach. “I’ve coached him since he was five years old, so I’ve coached him a lot. I know him so well. I could see him looking and I was thinking, ‘I know what’s coming.’”
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It was the first time he’s coached against his son. The try should have sealed victory for league leaders Glasgow but Connacht rallied and snatched victory with late tries from Josh Murphy and Sean Jansen.
It’s surreal for a father to coach against one of his children. Richie Murphy, who has one son Jack on board with him at Ulster, has had to deal with it a few times when playing against another son Ben with Connacht, and Lancaster said he and his wife Nina are relieved to have this fixture out of the way, although he said he was more relieved that they had won!
They had him round for tea to their house in Knocknacarra on Friday night, but with father and son both having been at Racing 92 up to a year ago, they headed for opposite changing rooms at Dexcom Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
“I’ve never coached against him, so, yeah, that was different. He came round for tea last night, actually, and saw the dogs.”
So when he did that crosskick for the second try, what went through his mind? “Well, there was a word that came out of my mouth as well that I probably can’t repeat here!
“But I’m really grateful to Glasgow for giving him an opportunity. He’s had to find a different route into professional rugby. And when you’re the son of a former England head coach or whatever, it has a part to play as well, you know what I mean? There’s extra pressure and responsibility.
“He went to France, obviously. Even when I left, he had a great experience there. They continued to pick him. But decided in the end it wasn’t for him. And then Glasgow came in late. So I’m very, very grateful to Glasgow for giving him that chance. He’s grown a lot there,” added Lancaster.
It’s a second URC win in-a-row for Connacht and keeps their top eight hopes alive heading into the business end of the season.
“We’ve a long way to go to get into the top eight, but it’s a big, big step to beat the top of the table at the end,” said the Connacht head coach.
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Mixed emotions for Connacht's Lancaster as he coaches against son for the first time
WHEN THE GLASGOW Warriors out-half got possession inside halfway and feigned a kick to the right corner, the only person in Dexcom Stadium on Saturday who knew what was coming next could do little about it because he was seated in the Connacht coaching box.
Stuart Lancaster could only look on with a mixture of dread and admiration as his son Dan executed a perfect cross-kick with the outside of his boot which was fielded in the air by Kyle Rowe, who came in off his wing to take possession and skip past two tackles to put Glasgow 10-3 in front with 13 minutes to go.
“I knew what was coming,” said the Connacht head coach. “I’ve coached him since he was five years old, so I’ve coached him a lot. I know him so well. I could see him looking and I was thinking, ‘I know what’s coming.’”
It was the first time he’s coached against his son. The try should have sealed victory for league leaders Glasgow but Connacht rallied and snatched victory with late tries from Josh Murphy and Sean Jansen.
It’s surreal for a father to coach against one of his children. Richie Murphy, who has one son Jack on board with him at Ulster, has had to deal with it a few times when playing against another son Ben with Connacht, and Lancaster said he and his wife Nina are relieved to have this fixture out of the way, although he said he was more relieved that they had won!
They had him round for tea to their house in Knocknacarra on Friday night, but with father and son both having been at Racing 92 up to a year ago, they headed for opposite changing rooms at Dexcom Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
So when he did that crosskick for the second try, what went through his mind? “Well, there was a word that came out of my mouth as well that I probably can’t repeat here!
“But I’m really grateful to Glasgow for giving him an opportunity. He’s had to find a different route into professional rugby. And when you’re the son of a former England head coach or whatever, it has a part to play as well, you know what I mean? There’s extra pressure and responsibility.
“He went to France, obviously. Even when I left, he had a great experience there. They continued to pick him. But decided in the end it wasn’t for him. And then Glasgow came in late. So I’m very, very grateful to Glasgow for giving him that chance. He’s grown a lot there,” added Lancaster.
It’s a second URC win in-a-row for Connacht and keeps their top eight hopes alive heading into the business end of the season.
“We’ve a long way to go to get into the top eight, but it’s a big, big step to beat the top of the table at the end,” said the Connacht head coach.
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Connacht Family Business Reaction Stuart Lancaster