Leinster appoint Noel McNamara to succeed Leo Cullen next season

Leinster have appointed Noel McNamara as their next head coach, with the Bordeaux Begles attack coach set to succeed Leo Cullen next season. According to BBC Sport, the Irish province confirmed the appointment after Cullen announced in June that he would step down at the end of the current campaign, bringing his spell in charge to a close.

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McNamara, 43, will return to a club where he previously worked for five years. His responsibilities during that period included leading Leinster's 'A' side and managing the academy. He moved to South Africa in 2021 to become attack and backs coach at the Sharks, then joined Bordeaux in 2023. His earlier coaching achievements also include Ireland's Under-20s Six Nations Grand Slam in 2019.

His time in France has included two successive Champions Cup triumphs and two runner-up finishes in the Top 14. Bordeaux's most recent European title came at Leinster's expense: the French club won 41-19 in Bilbao in May. BBC Sport reported that Leinster struggled to contain the attack overseen by McNamara, who will now take responsibility for the team Bordeaux defeated in that final.

The move will not take effect immediately. McNamara said his attention remained on Bordeaux's current season before his return to Leinster next summer, describing the appointment as an honour. Leinster chief executive Shane Nolan said the club expected to welcome him in July, once the season had finished, and that he had become its preferred candidate early in the recruitment process.

Nolan also highlighted McNamara's previous association with Leinster. Irish Rugby Football Union performance director David Humphreys pointed to his knowledge of Irish rugby, leadership and experience of developing players and successful teams. Humphreys said he looked forward to working with McNamara both on Leinster's results and on preparing players for the Ireland national side.

Cullen's departure will end a tenure that began in 2015 and has delivered six league championships alongside the 2018 Champions Cup. Leinster have subsequently lost five finals in Europe's leading club competition, four of them within the past five years. McNamara is therefore set to inherit a side with an extensive record of reaching European finals, while arriving from the club responsible for its latest defeat at that stage.