Stuart Lancaster leaves

Ex-England coach Stuart Lancaster has left his role at Top 14 club Racing 92, Planet Rugby understands.

Reports broke last night that the ex-Leinster coach could depart the club after a poor run of results to start off the 2024/25 season.

However, sources close to Racing 92 have confirmed to this publication that Lancaster has left his role effective immediately with Patrice Collazo likely to be tasked with turning the Parisian club’s fortunes around.

Stuart Lancaster leaves

Collazo was sacked by Montpellier in July last year and has not returned to work in the Top 14 since.

However, the experienced coach has had success over the years with La Rochelle, Toulon and Brive having started his coaching career at Racing 92’s Academy. The former France prop also played for the Parisian club before retiring in 2009 to pursue his coaching career.

Racing 92 have endured a poor run of results under Lancaster as they sit in 12th place on the Top 14 table after 15 matches, winning just five.

They also struggled in the Investec Champions Cup, winning just two of their five pool stage matches, which was just enough to see them qualify for the Challenge Cup last-16.

It’s a stark change in fortunes for the club who finished in sixth place in the Top 14 last season, qualifying for the knockout stages of the tournament only to be knocked out by Bordeaux – who went on to reach the final.

The pressure has been mounting on Lancaster with the club now threatened with relegation as they sit just two points above Paris rivals Stade Francais and they have just six more than RC Vannes who they will face when they return to Top 14 action on February 15.

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Munster links

Despite Racing 92’s poor form, Lancaster has been repeatedly linked with a return to Ireland to fill Graham Rowntree’s void at Munster.

However, he profusely denied reports that he had thrown his hat in the ring.

“I was disappointed by the lies told about me,” he told RMC Sport.

“One of them started in England about my departure for Munster, which is totally false. I lost all the respect I had for the people on the podcast who said that.”

However, with multiple Planet Rugby sources confirming that Lancaster will leave the club immediately, he may well be on the Irish club’s radar once again.

Lancaster enjoyed a successful stint working in Leo Cullen’s Leinster coaching team between 2016 and 2023 and could now return to Ireland.

Ian Costello is currently the interim head coach for the Irish province with the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) working with the club to find a full-time replacement.

Ex-Ireland coach criticises Munster for ‘mucking around’ over naming Graham Rowntree successor

IRFU performance director David Humphreys confirmed that the union hopes to announce Rowntree’s successor in the coming weeks with an external appointment still on the cards.

“The fact that this process has been ongoing is never any reflection on what’s there,” Humphreys told Irish reporters.

“I think because of the nature of Munster as a club, as a province, because of the level of job that that is, we just had to make sure that we explored every option.

“Mike [Prendergast] has been in the period where he’s been head coach and done a really good job supported by Ian Costello and the other appointments that have been made. So we’re very comfortable with the people that are in the room.”

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