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The 42
07-06-2025
- Sport
- The 42
'Stuart was always innovating. It's addictive to be in that environment'
WHETHER IT WAS the tennis ball machine he brought in, the leadership books he would suggest they read, or demanding that they lead analysis meetings, Stuart Lancaster always found new ways of challenging his Leinster players. Now, Connacht's players will be tested by Lancaster's insatiable pursuit of improvement. The Englishman spent seven years working as Leinster's senior coach, helping them to emerge from a worrying lull to claim a Champions Cup and Pro14 double in 2017/18, his second season with the province. There were three other Champions Cup finals during his spell with Leinster, as well as three more Pro14 titles. Those who worked with Lancaster during that time fondly remember the achievements, of course, but they also recall just how much he helped them to improve. Lancaster's influence on Leinster's squad not only improved the province's performances but also Ireland's. 'He was always innovating and trying to give us opportunities to get better,' says former Leinster and Ireland hooker James Tracy. 'Because he's so interested in personal growth and learning and learning from others, you can't not learn from him. 'It's very addictive to be in an environment like that.' And it wasn't just the players. Lancaster had a broader influence on many coaches within the province. This is something he plans to do in Connacht too. Lancaster during his first season with Leinster. Morgan Treacy / INPHO Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO St Michael's College, one of the key providers of players to Leinster, suffered an agonising defeat to Belvedere in the semi-finals of the 2018 Schools Senior Cup. The school's coaches, Andy Skehan and Emmet MacMahon, were still reeling when they got a surprise call from Lancaster, who they hadn't yet met at that point. 'He got our numbers and asked to meet us,' says Skehan, director of rugby at St Michael's. Advertisement 'We went through the game and he said it reminded him of the England v Wales game he was involved in at the 2015 World Cup. 'The learning from that was monumental for us and the development for us as coaches was huge. We put that into practice and then it became a regular thing. At least once a season, if not twice a season, we'd meet him in Leinster or St Michael's and talk through new ideas he had. We've maintained contact even since he left Leinster.' Skehan knows many other coaches who have had similar experiences with Lancaster, who also delivered lots of coaching seminars to bigger groups in UCD or Donnybrook. On occasion, Lancaster would bring in young players to ensure there was a practical element on the pitch. When Covid struck, Lancaster took the seminars online and spread his enthusiasm for the game even wider. 'Not only are Connacht getting someone who I think will advance their cause massively at senior level, but he will have an influence across the province into their age-grade teams, pathway, even the community level,' says Skehan. 'One of Stuart's greatest strengths is that he's technically and tactically very astute, but he also has an unbelievable understanding of leadership, culture, and community.' Leinster players who were interested in improving their leadership got used to Lancaster sending them videos, slideshows, and books on the topic. He would sit down with individuals to discuss their personal style of leading. But as Connacht's squad will soon find out, Lancaster is not into leading players by the hand. Team meetings in a Lancaster set-up are not just one-way. Lancaster during his last season with Leinster. Ben Brady / INPHO Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO 'You have to come with an opinion,' says Tracy. 'He wants you to understand why you did things in training or a game, why things worked or went wrong. You're not just turning up to be spoon-fed. 'Instead of telling you, 'You did this wrong, do this instead,' he'll ask you, 'What were you thinking here?' 'It means you don't just have the cop out of, 'Sorry, I was wrong' or 'Sorry, I made a mistake' because that doesn't fix anything. 'If you can get to the root of that issue in a team meeting in front of everyone, it makes you vulnerable but it makes you think more about why you made decisions.' Lancaster would task individual players with leading focused meetings. For example, young openside flanker Scott Penny would lead a breakdown preview ahead of the weekend's game. Penny would go away and work with the Leinster analysts to compile footage of the opposition's strengths and weaknesses around the breakdown, then guide his own team-mates through it in a meeting. The same happened with the scrum, the lineout, and other areas of the game. Lancaster and the other Leinster coaches obviously mixed in their views, but the Englishman wanted the players to know their stuff. 'So then when we were in pressure situations, we understood what to do because we were part of making that plan and understood how the opposition set up,' says Tracy. There was a constant focus on technical improvement too. 'He felt our catch-pass skills needed to be the best in the world if we were going to be able to play a possession-based game,' says Tracy. 'We needed to get better under fatigue.' So Lancaster would come into the gym with a bag of rugby balls while Leinster's players were lifting weights. In between sets, he'd start a countdown timer and get them to do handling drills under fatigue, challenging them not to drop a single ball in the two-minute blocks. Lancaster would make as much noise as possible to add more pressure. Lancaster with Connacht captain Cian Prendergast and CEO Willie Ruane. Tom Maher / INPHO Tom Maher / INPHO / INPHO He also brought in the tennis ball machine, which allowed players to work on their hand-eye coordination outside of the actual on-pitch sessions. The ball would come at high speed and players had to use 'soft hands' to catch it, releasing the tension from their hands so the ball didn't just bounce away. He would send players clips of best practice from other sports. Many of Leinster's backs remember the footage Lancaster shared with them of Frank Lampard and other top footballers scanning the pitch when they weren't in possession. They were incessantly scanning all around them before receiving the ball to build a picture of the opportunities once they were in possession. Lancaster wanted them to do the same on the rugby pitch. Lancaster, a former teacher, is the epitome of a coach with a growth mindset. Connacht's players will enjoy the challenges he poses them. He's a caring coach, but a demanding one too. And his time in Leinster suggests that it won't only be the Connacht players who benefit from Lancaster's arrival. Skehan cites Joe Schmidt as a strong influence on the grassroots game when he was in Leinster, but reckons no one has matched Lancaster in that regard. 'Stuart's influence was huge,' says Skehan. 'From a grassroots to a pathway level, I think Stuart is probably most influential at that level. There's obviously a good case for him also being the most influential at the senior professional level. 'So Connacht have got a professional senior coach, but they've also got an incredible influencer on the community and pathway and development game that feeds into that.'
Irish Independent
01-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Over 20,000 people attend fourth day of Bloom
Today at 13:44 Over 20,000 people flocked to the Phoenix Park in Dublin today for the fourth day of Bord Bia Bloom. Around 100,000 visitors are expected to attend the five-day festival over the June bank holiday weekend, finishing on Monday. Celebrity chef Donal Skehan had a smashing time during his cooking demonstration at the festival over the weekend, when the stage oven shattered during his segment, sending glass and pieces of the oven towards the chef while cooking Korean chicken. 'When you're in the kitchen, disasters may happen, that is probably the worst thing that has even happened to me,' Mr Skehan told the laughing crowd. 'Had a smashing day. It's been ten years but I'm thrilled to be back with a bang,' he shared on his social media after the demo. 'I always get asked what my worst kitchen disaster has been, well it happened today live in front of 100s of people. 'A huge thank you to the amazing audience I've ever had a for a cookery demo, you honestly kept me going during the craziest moment in the kitchen. I will remember this forever. 'No home cooks were harmed in the making. The incredible crew at Bord Bia had the oven replaced in less than an hour.' Following the interruption, Mr Skehan carried on with the cooking demonstration and told the crowd 'it's back to business'. The sun was shining for most of the day between scattered showers, with temperatures reaching 18 degrees. Tomorrow is set to be mostly dry with spells of sunshine with highest temperatures of 17 degrees. Meanwhile, Bloom designer Joe Eustace said he has looked up to the garden designers at Bloom since he was a child. ADVERTISEMENT 'There's photos of me as a child in a boogie at Bloom,' he told the Irish Independent. "I idolised the designers the same way that someone else my age may idolise a football player or a rugby player. "To be up here now, competing on the same stage as them, learning from the designers, they've all been absolutely fantastic, and taking me under their wing. 'It's a real watershed moment for me, because I'm here now, and I'm in the position that I would have looked up to a lot when I was a kid. "And I just hope that there's some kid at the show this year that was in the same position as me, and that they can look and see that it is possible and they can come and bring new life into the industry the same way that I fell into it,' he added. Mr Eustace from Newbridge, who is a co-founder of Online Garden Designs, was the first winner of the Boom Bia Bloom cultivating talent initiative in 2022. He has participated in Ireland's largest gardening festival ever since, and is currently completing a master's at UCD. His second show garden at last year's Bloom, the Citroen Floating Lounge Garden, won a gold medal. "My father was a landscape contractor, and so when I was 13 years old, I was out helping him. I had a shovel in my hand, and from there, it's built on. 'I did my first show garden in Bloom in 2023, and I've delivered a garden ever since, I've never looked back, so it's been a great experience so far. And long may it last," he added. Mr Eustace designed the Support Garden this year, sponsored by the Decision Support Service, which won a silver gilt medal at the festival. It has a steel fireplace at its centre, which symbolises the donor of an Enduring Power of Attorney. The garden has two bespoke chairs and is surrounded by a steel pergola, which supports the fireplace and stands for the network of trust built between the donor, their attorney, and the people that surround them. 'What it represents is the profoundly vulnerable moment where someone has to confront the idea of advanced planning, so someone who may be fearful that, in the future, they may make it in an accident or develop a decision impairment disorder such as Alzheimer's or dementia,' said Mr Eustace. 'Essentially, what this garden is all about is planting the seeds now that will flower in the future, and that's what advanced planning is about. "The metaphor of the space is that the central fireplace represents a person who is at the centre of one of these agreements, and then this support network that spans throughout the space represents the friends and family of that person and the decision support service. 'The fireplace is floating and it's being lifted, so the support network that's in place is supporting the person even when they can't support or decide for themselves. 'The planting for the space is chosen for that idea of support, so it's planting that's going to support pollinators,' he added. Una FitzGibbon, director of marketing at Bord Bia said: 'Bloom 2025 has been an incredible success so far, and we are thrilled with the enthusiastic participation from both visitors and exhibitors alike. 'The feedback from attendees has been overwhelmingly positive, and it's clear that Bloom continues to deliver a memorable experience for all. As we approach the final day, the forecast is looking good, so we encourage everyone to come, make the most of this fantastic event and grab a bargain on the final day.'
Extra.ie
01-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Extra.ie
Holy cow! Donal Skehan's Bloom kitchen disaster is a cracker
TV chef Donal Skehan was in smashing form at Bord Bia Bloom yesterday, adding the cherry on top of his 'many' kitchen calamities. He was in the middle of a cookery demonstration at the gardening and food festival in the Phoenix Park when a glass oven door broke into pieces in his hand. Skehan, who soldiered on to whip up a Korean chicken dish, told afterwards: 'My biggest fear was that the glass was hot, it went all down my shirt, all down my top.' Donal Skehan, Irish TV personality and presenter, breaks the oven door while demonstrating at Bloom 2025. © Michael Chester. Thankfully, nobody was hurt by the flying shards, and the accident provided the chef with plenty of material for the rest of the demonstration, which was thoroughly enjoyed by the amused audience. 'It had rained previously, so we've never had a more packed demo tent – of course – to witness it,' Skehan laughed. 'The thing I learned in all my years on television is that whatever goes wrong, you keep on cracking on. I've had many kitchen disasters, and I think this definitely tops it. There's nothing like something going wrong in front of 400 people.' Donal Skehan, Irish TV personality and presenter, breaks the oven door while demonstrating at Bloom 2025. © Michael Chester. The Dublin-born chef is a regular presenter on BBC One's Saturday Kitchen and a contributor to ITV's This Morning. He said 'loads' of things have gone wrong in live broadcasts. 'I've burnt things, [This Morning presenter] Alison Hammond has moved things without me realising… 'But probably the biggest one was on Saturday Kitchen. It goes out to like three million people, so it's always a very stressful one to do, but it's a brilliant show. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Donal (@donalskehan) 'And I once sliced a little bit of the tip off my finger and had to continue on interviewing and chatting. Julian Clary was the celebrity guest. He was a pain in the a**e because he kept bringing it up.' Elsewhere at Bloom, another Irishman familiar to British TV viewers was in attendance for the very first time. Diarmuid Gavin explained: 'I've been abroad, and it's always around the time of the Chelsea Flower Show. And while I've lived in Ireland, I've never worked here until Covid. So, eventually, I've made it.' The TV gardener told the festival was 'great' from his first impressions. 'People are very enthusiastic. Great crowds, great gardens and great nurseries. So all very good.' This year's garden trend is 'going wild', Gavin said. 'Embracing the weeds, embracing the natural, getting away from the chemicals – all of that is very popular.' The Bloom judges awarded the concept garden gold medal to The Rainbow Brick Balcony Garden, made entirely from Lego. Limerick artist Gary Kirwan built it from 814,183 pieces over eight weeks, doing '85%' of the work himself. Despite the lack of organic matter in his incredible creation, he said organisers were 'really responsive' to the idea, with one in particular a 'big Lego fan'. The Marie Keating Foundation returned to Bloom with their 'Early Bird Catches The Worm' garden, highlighting the importance of early cancer detection. The charity's director of development, Lyrah O'Beirne, said the silver gilt medal-winning garden is 'asking people to be aware of what the signs and symptoms are and to act on them and get treated. 'The impact on the patient – physically, mentally and financially – is so much easier if it's treated in its early stages, and people can get back to a normal life. 'It's also much easier on their friends and family and on their work, because what people don't realise is that cancer just doesn't affect the patient, it affects everybody connected to that person.'
Irish Independent
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Eurosong judge Donal Skehan on Emmy's odds and Israel's involvement
Norwegian singer Emmy will represent Ireland at the semi-final on Thursday evening at the Arena St Jakob-Park in the Swiss city of Basel. Skehan thinks Emmy's pop song Laika Party is a 'really great Eurovision song [with] really great production' and she will 'represent us beautifully'.
Irish Independent
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Eurovision 2025: ‘Bambie Thug was more memorable,' says Eurosong judge Donal Skehan
Norwegian singer Emmy will represent Ireland at the semi-final on Thursday evening at the Arena St Jakob-Park in the Swiss city of Basel. Skehan thinks Emmy's pop song Laika Party is a 'really great Eurovision song [with] really great production' and she will 'represent us beautifully'. But he is doubtful the song will make the same impact with viewers as last year's Irish entrant Bambie Thug. The Cork singer came sixth with Doomsday Blue, after receiving 142 points from the juries and 136 from the public. Ireland's sixth place finish was the best since 2000 and the first top 10 finish since Jedward in 2011. "[Laika Party] is a really great Eurovision song to be sending and really great production... Our chances to win I am a little worried about,' he said. 'I don't think we are going to be up there. But it is a great Eurovision song and it will have people on their feet... It's Eurovision out of the box, and will give us a great cheer in the audience." He continued: 'It is a proper Euro pop fan favourite and that's the beauty of it - everyone is singing it... Does it have enough to qualify? I think what Bambie Thug did last year was far more memorable in terms of just that shock on screen. "As something very, very different and I think if we are going to get through the qualifying stages we have to look more towards Bambie Thug, than maybe what Emmy is doing. But I really wish Emmy well and I think she is going to represent us beautifully.' Mr Skehan was one of many Irish fans who flew into the picturesque city for the song contest - there are expected to be over 100,000 arriving in the city for Eurovision. There has been increased tension, and controversy surrounding the contest in recent years regarding Israel's involvement. ADVERTISEMENT Israel's attacks have killed more than 52,000 people in Gaza, according to local health authorities. There have been reports of protests in Basel and 1300 police are on duty with extra armed forces being drafted in from Germany and France. This year, a number of broadcasters including RTÉ have asked for a meeting with the EBU over Israel's involvement. Mr Skehan said Israel's involvement has affected the feeling at the festival. 'I think with what is going on many fans would prefer it if they [Israel] weren't part of the contest… It 's an awful thing that is going on. It is genocide. So to see them taking part and the EBU not cracking down on it is disappointing.' This week, the Israeli delegation complained to Swiss police that during the opening 'turquoise carpet' ceremony, a person made a threatening 'slit-throat gesture' towards Israel's 2025 entrant Yuval Raphael. Mr Raphael is a survivor of the Hamas attack at the Nova music festival. The first semi-final takes place on Tuesday evening, with Ireland performing in the second semi-final on Thursday evening.
