All hail the headmaster

Two down, three to go. The Six Nations reaches the halfway point this weekend and only one team can aim for the Grand Slam and Triple Crown. The championship is still to play for and Lions places are there to be won, but only England can take the lot. Which is not bad going for a team that was on trial only 12 months ago.

There was an awful lot to put right after a World Cup campaign that had gone horribly wrong on and off the paddock. England didn’t just need a new coach, they needed a headmaster… and in Stuart Lancaster that is just what they got. He took up his role as interim head coach in the guise of a PE teacher (exactly what he’d been), but one with a headmasterly outlook. ‘Danny Care, take a long, hard look at yourself and if you still want to be part of this school come and see me in the spring. Now get out of my sight.’ As Mr Lancaster dispatched young Care back to Harlequins house to address his drinking issues, the message was clear: if you let yourself down, you let the school down.

Mr Lancaster has a vision for his boys and the best way to bring clarity is for everyone to buy into that vision. In his world, elite status walks hand in hand with humility. No more trumped-up southern party animals heading off to the Algarve for warm-weather training, Leeds is as good a place as any and you can put all that talent to good use by going out into the community and spreading the word. No one would dare skip the chance to give a coaching clinic or skills session to local kids now.