Dan Lancaster talks room for improvement and relishing responsibility as Glasgow Warriors' first choice 10
Former Leicester Tigers and Racing 92 stand-off embracing URC learning curve
Glasgow Warriors fly-half Dan Lancaster is welcoming the responsibility that comes with being the starting 10 in a team challenging for honours.
The former Leicester Tigers and Racing 92 stand-off is expected to once again be charged with pulling the strings when Franco Smith’s side head to Ulster for their final fixture of the regular URC season on Friday night. It’s a match where Warriors need to equal or better the results of Stormers and Leinster to ensure top spot in the table ahead of the play-offs.
Experienced Scotland international Adam Hastings is suspended while the versatile Charlie Savala remains out injured. That leaves emerging talent Matthew Urwin as the only other available 10 at Scotstoun.
“I think I can get better at everything” - Lancaster developing with Glasgow Warriors
“It's in our hands now,” said Lancaster. “It's a big game on Friday, obviously they've got something to play for, they're not guaranteed top eight and they'll want to keep momentum building for the Challenge Cup the week after.”
Warriors got back to winning ways last week with a 40-17 victory over Cardiff at Scotstoun. That ended a three match losing run in which they exited the Champions Cup at the hands of Toulon before suffering back-to-back defeats in the URC in South Africa.
Lancaster added: “The last couple of games it was obviously tough and there was probably a lot of reflection from a team point of view and an individual point of view, just to see how I can improve my game and see how we can drive forward as a team and how I can lead the team forward, but I've been really grateful to get a lot of opportunities and hopefully it continues.
“I think it's the responsibility every 10 wants to be honest, being able to have a voice and lead teams and lead groups and personally I think that's a strength of mine, being able to speak and have the game understanding to drive teams in the game. I know I need to keep improving for myself and to develop my game.”
Pressed on where he specifically thought his own game needed work, Lancaster continued: “To be honest, I think I can get better at everything. I think for me, at the minute, is just being able to make right decisions at all times.
“With everything happening in games, everything is happening so quickly, being able to be the calmest on the pitch and make right decisions. That's where you look at the best 10s in the world, they just keep making the right decisions at all times. I think the more you see pictures, the more you make the right decisions.”
Glasgow Warriors to add new fly-half signing this summer as Scotland veteran Hastings departs?
With fellow fly-half Hastings leaving Glasgow at the end of the current season for a move to France there is plenty speculation that Warriors may move for a new signing in that position. However, that’s not something that’s on the mind of Lancaster who has the remaining games to make sure he really nails down the jersey as his own.
He added: “I think we've got a really good group obviously this year, not only with just Adam but Matty (Urwin) has developed massively, he's trained unbelievably. Then we've got Charlie (Savala) to come back.
“We'll have a great group going next year, adding Bailey (Kuenzle), so we'll just bounce ideas off each other and we'll help each other out, but obviously stay competitive because we all want to play.”
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