After suffering the devastating loss of his father last year, Stuart Lancaster was amazed by the level of support he received from those he works alongside at Leinster.
"He was fit and well the day before," Stuart Lancaster recalled of his father shortly before his passing last year. "I'd spoken to him and he was going to go watch my son play."
Without warning, however, the Leinster coach was forced to quickly contend with the shocking reality of losing a parent overnight: "The next day, it happened."
In the first episode of Off the Ball's second series of 'Leaders Questions with Stuart Lancaster,' the former England head coach detailed the "amazing" support he and his family received from those he works alongside at Leinster.
Enjoying a professional relationship that has seen the Irish province establish themselves as one of the greatest club sides in European rugby, at a devastating juncture in Lancaster's life, all pulled in one direction to meet a different end.
"The support I received from everyone at Leinster was incredible," he remembered fondly.
When the funeral was announced, the Leinster staff and players just said, 'We're coming.'
Joining Leo Cullen at Leinster in 2016, Lancaster proved pivotal as the province regained their hold over European competition.
The success that allowed Lancaster to celebrate a Pro 14 win with his family in the Aviva Stadium in May 2018; a memory that would stick with the son in light of his father's untimely passing.
Discussing the idiosyncrasies that distinguish an English funeral from the Irish equivalent, the additional time-off Lancaster required to carry out familial duties in England posed no concern.
"When I said that I can't come in for a period," Lancaster explains, "they were unbelievable.
"When the funeral was announced then, the Leinster staff and players just said, 'we're coming.'
Suggesting that they didn't know his father that well, and making the trip during their season was an unnecessary distraction, Lancaster's protests were met with defiance: "No, no, we're coming."
"They flew from Dublin to Manchester, drove from Manchester up to this tiny little village and stayed at a Travel Lodge.
"They came to the funeral to support me and my family, and then went back again in the middle of a rugby week.
"It was amazing ... amazing really."
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