The House of Lancaster

How England Rugby was Reinvented

Neil Squires

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The inside story on how Stuart Lancaster revolutionised the England rugby team, taking a ruined team after the disastrous 2011 World Cup campaign and turning them into world beaters and genuine contenders for the 2015 World Cup in England

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

Published: 6 August 2015
ISBN: 9781473520394
Imprint: Vintage Digital
Format: EBook
Pages: 304

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About the author

Neil Squires

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.

Praise for The House of Lancaster

A fascinating behind-the-scenes insight into the transformation Stuart Lancaster has effected
Sir Ian McGeechan OBE

A rare beast in the canon of sports writing. An intelligent, accessible, highly readable analysis of what makes a great rugby team. Don't approach the Rugby World Cup without it
Paul Ackford

A penetrating insight into the business of leadership, team identity and elite performance
Steve Martin, Global CEO, M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment

A tremendous insight into Stuart Lancaster the man and the coach, full of rich detail
Steve, James, Sunday Telegraph Rugby Union correspondent

Think you know all about England under Stuart Lancaster? Think again. Even his players will find The House of Lancaster an illuminating, thought-provoking read
Robert Kitson, Guardian Rugby Union correspondent

A story of reconstruction told with the eye for detail of a craftsman; a race against time told with pace and dash
Eddie Butler, BBC commentator/Observer Rugby Union correspondent

Covering the England rugby beat day in day out for the Mirror I thought I knew Stuart Lancaster. Then I read this book and realised I was wrong. A fascinating insight and a damn good read
Alex Spink, Daily Mirror rugby union correspondent

A fascinating insight into the mind and methods of Stuart Lancaster. It certainly struck a chord with me as to some extent we come from similar backgrounds and share the same coaching philosophy
Geoff Cooke, Grand Slam-winning former England coach