Stuart Lancaster says he has had no contact from Leinster about succeeding Leo Cullen and is instead in positive discussions about extending his stay with Connacht.
The Connacht head coach arrived in Galway on a two year deal last summer. His first season ended with a URC knockout place and qualification for this season’s Champions Cup, but the question around his future grew louder after Cullen said in June that he would leave Leinster at the end of the campaign.
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Lancaster spent seven seasons as Leinster’s senior coach under Cullen and was quickly named as a possible successor. He said there had been no conversation from either side about a return to Dublin.
Instead, Lancaster said he had held positive talks with Connacht chief executive Willie Ruane and IRFU performance director David Humphreys. Nothing has been agreed, but he and his wife Nina are settled in Galway and he said he feels the project is only getting started.
That is a clear enough message for now. Leinster may have a major coaching decision ahead, but Lancaster is not presenting himself as a man waiting by the phone.
Connacht have work to do
The timing matters because Connacht open their URC season at home to the Stormers on Friday night. They also face Saracens, Exeter, Toulouse and La Rochelle in the Champions Cup pool stage.
Lancaster has given the province momentum, but momentum is not a contract. A stronger URC campaign and a useful European run would make the case for continuity much easier. Galway has seen enough stop starts. Keeping the coach who has the room moving in one direction would be a good outcome.
Reporting: RTÉ Sport