Lancaster is the right man at the right time for England

He has not worn the white shirt with the famous red rose in the heat of Twickenham battle, let alone captained his country to World Cup glory like former England manager Martin Johnson.

But the shy 42-year-old, who was director of rugby at Leeds, is the right man at the right time to lead England rugby.

Quite why it required a head-hunting team hired at considerable expense to deliver the man the Rugby Football Union last week confirmed as their head coach on a four-year contract to take England through to the World Cup in 2015 is a mystery.

England’s rugby bosses need only have listened to respected forwards coach Graham Rowntree, who considered England’s impressive performance in the recent Six Nations and proclaimed: “We were born again as a new team under Stuart. We made everyone proud of us again. There’s a load more to come.”

No-one can say Lancaster’s credentials were not examined with forensic intensity these past few months.

Was he a convincing tactician? Did he possess the qualities to motivate strong characters? Could he handle the intense press scrutiny? Could he inspire?

The tests came thick and fast during a Six Nations tournament in which he was constantly asked about his prospects of landing the job and consistently answered with dignity and grace and a humility which is rare in top-class sport.

In truth, his prospects looked less than bright after two opening wins against Scotland and Italy which were notable for their sterility.

But the seed of Lancaster’s renewal began to grow in narrow defeat against Wales and continued to blossom with victories against France in Paris and Ireland at Twickenham.

By the time scrum-half Ben Youngs had crossed for a wonderfully opportunistic try against the Irish, the Lancaster transformation was there for all to see.

Where there had been diffidence and disorganisation under Johnson, suddenly there was confidence and conviction.

In a matter of a few short months the catastrophe of the World Cup had been swept aside, much of the old guard had been ditched or retired and a vibrant alternative had been assembled.

The pieces did not just fall together. Lancaster had real belief in stars such as Brad Barritt, Ben Morgan and captain Chris Robshaw.

In particular, he pinned his reputation on the budding talent of 20-year-old fly-half Owen Farrell, whose pace was dubious but whose play-making skills and sublime goal-kicking now look to be the keys to England’s chances in 2015.

Lancaster’s selections were intuitive. They required courage too. Results helped, yet they were not the only reason Lancaster got the nod over the more famous and experienced Nick Mallett, the former South Africa and Italy coach.

It was Lancaster’s ability to take the players with him which was so impressive, restoring the reputation of England rugby on the way after a lamentable period under Johnson during which indiscipline appeared to have become commonplace.

Johnson’s appointment had always been a gamble. He had been a great captain but he had never coached, never managed. Not once during his reign did he give the impression that he relished the job.

By contrast, Lancaster appears a natural.

A man plucked from relative obscurity who has the uncanny knack of appearing quietly confident in the glare of the harshest spotlight.

His appointment is a vindication of his young team and his common sense methods and of Rowntree’s assertion that “there is a load more to come”.

England are a long way from the finished article, but with Lancaster in charge Rowntree might just be right.

THE HONEYMOON’S OVER: England tackle South Africa four times this year plus Australia, New Zealand and Fiji in a brutal series of fixtures. Some bad results could lead to questions over Lancaster’s inexperience. He has vowed to remain true to his principles even in adversity. That is sure to be tested in the coming months.

WORLD CUP SEEDINGS: England are currently fourth in the world rankings and must be there at the end of 2012 to be top seeds at their home World Cup, a tough ask given their fixture schedule. Lancaster plays down the importance of a top seeding but it would see England avoid Australia, New Zealand and South Africa until the knockout stages.

ATTACK ATTACK ATTACK: England were dogged and defiant in the Six Nations but need to add attacking invention and guile to their game. Lancaster is expected to have argued for Andy Farrell to be retained in the England set-up. There has been talk of experienced New Zealand attack specialist Wayne Smith joining the management team.

NATIONAL CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE: This is a medium-term objective but it formed a central part of Lancaster’s presentation to the RFU. He believes England need a state of the art training base with indoor and outdoor facilities that can also help develop age-group teams.

WIN THE WORLD CUP: That is what Lancaster has been recruited to do. Despite his lack of top international experience, Lancaster has convinced the RFU he has the vision required for England to win in 2015 and the ability to put those plans into action over the next three years.