Stuart Lancaster has hit out at the perception that he did not do much hands-on coaching in his four years as England boss.The 46-year-old has joined Leinster as a member of their coaching team for the rest of the season, his first extended role since stepping down as England chief in November 2015 in the wake of his teams dismal World Cup campaign.Leinsters new senior coach, who will work under head coach Leo Cullen, has filled various short-term roles this summer for British Cycling, the Football Association, Atlanta Falcons and in New Zealand domestic rugby.?Lancaster, whose primary responsibility at Leinster is to coach defence, said: Ive coached virtually every part of the game, whether I go back to my teaching career til I was 30, but Ive coached now for 16 years.I think there was a perception in England that I probably didnt do any coaching.Andy Farrell clearly led on the defence when I was with England [but] I was coaching defence not less than three weeks ago in New Zealand.[At] Counties Manukau my main remit was to coach defence. So Ive got my own philosophy. Clearly its been influenced by the people Ive worked under as defence coaches. I watched Mike Ford when he was England defence coach, obviously Andy Farrell latterly, I worked with Paul Gustard in Argentina when he came with me.I think I understand a lot about defence but equally as I mentioned earlier on, Ive got a reasonably broad range and hopefully I can influence the attacking stuff as well and also reach down a bit to some of the academy work.I come from a player development background, my role in England was not just head coach, [I was] head of elite player development, and I like to think I can offer Leinster something in that regard as well.Lancasters opportunity to join the three-time European Cup winners, last terms Guinness PRO12 runners-up, came after former defence coach Kurt McQuilkin returned to New Zealand for family reasons. Although Lancasters main remit is defence, it is instructive that his title is senior coach and not defence coach.Cullen believes he has signed an all-rounder. I always follow people that I admire in the game, good people, said the former Ireland and Leinster lock.I want to bring a good person into the group first and foremost, people that have a quality skill set that can add to the group, not just from a defensive point of view but in a whole host of other areas.Straight away theres a big attraction there for having a candidate like Stuart here so Im absolutely delighted that hes decided to join here.Although Lancaster has coached at a higher level than Cullen, he said: Im more than happy to work underneath Leo because I dont know the club, I dont know the environment, I dont know the relationships and everything. It suits me down to the ground just to get back into coaching again. Barry Bonds Jersey . 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The 31-year-old Spain midfielder hasnt played since Madrid lost in the Copa del Rey final to Atletico Madrid in May due to back and foot injuries. PHOENIX -- Think about all the damage that the Minnesota Lynx can do with their big names. It almost seems like overkill, then, that one of their most productive players in Sundays 82-67 WNBA semifinal series-clinching victory over Phoenix is someone they picked up in a trade in February without expecting shed make this big an impact.Sometimes getting lucky is good, Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve said. We didnt necessarily know what we were getting in Natasha Howard.But theres that saying that the harder you work, the luckier you get. The Lynx as an organization have worked very hard to build what has now stretched into six seasons of excellence, and theyll be going for their fourth WNBA title in that stretch.The play of Howard -- who had 17 points on 8-of-11 shooting and eight rebounds Sunday -- is just one example of the culture the Lynx have built. Their incredibly strong core of key players -- Maya Moore, Lindsay Whalen, Seimone Augustus and Rebekkah Brunson -- have been together since the franchises first championship in 2011.The personnel moves the Lynx have made since then all have been with the goal of making an already great team even a little harder to beat. Look at the players added to the Lynx this year and last year, which include the likes of Sylvia Fowles, Renee Montgomery, Anna Cruz, Jia Perkins and Howard. Theyve all contributed specific things to the Lynx without taking anything away.UConn and USA Basketball coach Geno Auriemma always says that teams either get better or they get worse, but they dont just stay the same. The Lynx, who have become the WNBAs version of UConn in terms of sustained success, are an example of what hes talking about. Theyve continued to get better.Its all about being selfless, and thats the culture of our team, Reeve said. And we want to make sure we add those pieces that subscribe to that mentality. All the credit should go to the core players that we have, because other players want to play with them. Theyre tremendous superstars, yet theyre so humble and supportive.You watch them on the bench when theyre not in the game, and they have a lot of fun over there rooting for other players. Its genuine, and thats how they are all the time.The Lynx might be having a blast, but their opponents arent. Minnesota had the best regular-season record in franchise history (28-6) this year. The Lynx won all three of the semifinal games against Phoenix by double digits. Minnesota was the No. 1 seed and Phoenix No. 8, so the Lynx obviously were a big favorite. But remember, a few months ago, a lot of people predicted Phoenix would be the top contender for the title this year.Reeve complimented the Mercury on how much effort they put into these playoff games, but she also felt that the Lynx had enough high-quality depth that they could wear out Phoenix. And that happened. Led by Howard, the Lynx bench got 29 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.Indiana took Howard, out of Floridaa State, with the No.dddddddddddd 5 pick in the 2014 draft. She had a solid rookie season for the Fever, averaging 7.0 points and 3.1 rebounds. Her numbers dropped off a little last season, but the potential was still there.The Lynx were expecting to bring back post player Devereaux Peters, who was their third pick in the 2012 draft, this season. She had been a Minnesota reserve for four seasons. But Reeve said Peters wanted to play elsewhere. Hence, a deal with Indiana for Howard earlier this year.Howard has worked out well for Minnesota, as have the others, such as Fowles, who sat out until late July 2015 to force a trade to the Lynx from Chicago. She was the WNBA Finals MVP last year and recently was named the 2016 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year.And guards such as Perkins and Montgomery are veterans who provide a different look, especially on defense, to help spell Augustus and Whalen.Im excited, happy and thankful that weve created an environment here that people want to be a part of, said Augustus, the longest-tenured Lynx player going back to being chosen No. 1 in the 2006 WNBA draft. Jia or Renee could have gone somewhere else and probably started. Thats what we pride ourselves on: We have a great team of athletes, but also a great team of people.For Moore, who has had another MVP-caliber season, the long-term chemistry the Lynx possess is a thing of wonderment.Its like being in unchartered waters, said Moore, who had 20 points and six rebounds Sunday. If you have that kind of feeling in high school or college, those are four years. With the pros ... maybe two or three years would be good. But this is year six for us. Its like, Wow. And theres no question that its people from the top down, starting with our owner, that make that happen.At different times on this team, people might have a tired day, and someones always there to pick them up. Were constantly looking out for each other.Before the Olympic break this season, the Lynx and the Los Angeles Sparks were neck-and-neck as the top teams in the WNBA. Since the break, Minnesota clearly has been the best.The Sparks, who beat the Lynx at Minnesota in late June but lost two other times to them, still seem to have the best chance to derail the defending champions. But Los Angeles will have to get into the WNBA Finals first; they lost 70-66 in their Game 3 at Chicago on Sunday. The Sparks will try again to close out the series with the Sky on Tuesday (ESPN2, 8 p.m. ET).Meanwhile the Lynx will take the opportunity to get some rest as they wait to see whom they will face in their fifth trip to the WNBA Finals in the past six years.This group has been a very special group. And the vibe ... I think its because they all have a piece in this, Reeve said. Its been very, very rewarding for me, watching them throughout the season. ' ' '