The House of Lancaster: How England Rugby was Reinvented

by Neil Squires

Overview

Acclaimed world champions in 2003, the England rugby union team came home from the World Cup in New Zealand eight years later to the sound of silence. Their rugby was uninspiring and their reputation in tatters. Stuart Lancaster - former burger-flipper, PE teacher and the novice Saxons coach - was tasked with turning a failing team around.

The transformation was astounding. Now Lancaster's side has the work ethic, humility and resolve to compare with that World Cup-winning team. Much of this is down to their coach, but with so little international experience, how did he bring about this renewal?

Part biography, part examination of leadership, The House of Lancaster pulls apart the England rugby machine and looks at how it has been put together. Filled with exclusive interviews from the leading protagonists, players and coaches, as well as containing unprecedented access to Lancaster's methods, The House of Lancaster shows how the vision, personality and leaderships skills of one driven man can turn a team into genuine world-beaters.

With a foreword from Sir Ian McGeechan OBE

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781473520394
Publisher:	Random House
Publication date:	08/06/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	304
File size:	10 MB

About the Author

Neil Squires is the Rugby Union Correspondent for the Daily Express. His relationship with Stuart Lancaster goes back almost twenty years, having covered the England coach's playing career at Leeds for the Yorkshire Post. No journalist is closer to him or better qualified to chronicle his rise and examine his motivations and his methods.

Table of Contents

Foreword Sir Ian McGeechan OBE 1

Introduction 5

1 The Mess That Came Before 13

2 Caretaker Duty 29

3 Playing For Keeps 51

4 Who Is This Lancaster Bloke Anyway? 64

5 The Coaching Road 79

6 The Impossible Job 93

7 National Service 106

8 California Dreaming 120

9 The Jersey 135

10 The England Plan 154

11 Know Your Enemies 172

12 Know Yourself 188

13 Holding Your Nerve 209

14 The Miracle Shot 224

15 Leadership 245

Conclusion 271

Postscript 279

England Tests Under Lancaster 281

Test Nations' Results During Lancaster's Tenure 283

Bibliography 284

Acknowledgements 288

List of Illustrations 290

Editorial Reviews

"A penetrating insight into the business of leadership, team identity and elite performance"

EBOOK COMMENTARY