Leinster have confirmed that Bordeaux-Begles attack coach Noel McNamara will succeed Leo Cullen as head coach, ending weeks of speculation about one of the biggest jobs in club rugby. The 43 year old will remain in France until the end of this season before joining the Irish province on 1 July 2027.
The appointment is a homecoming. McNamara, a Clare native, previously spent five years at Leinster in a number of roles, including academy manager and Leinster A head coach, before leaving for South Africa in 2021. He has since built a reputation as one of the sharpest attacking minds in European rugby, first with the Sharks in Durban and then at Bordeaux, where he has helped mastermind back to back Champions Cup triumphs.
The BBC's original report on the appointment is available here.
A preferred candidate from the start
Leinster chief executive Shane Nolan said McNamara emerged as the province's preferred candidate very early in the process. He added: "We are delighted to welcome Noel McNamara as the new head coach in 2027. Noel has a long association with the club and emerged as our preferred candidate very early in the process. His transition into the role will be seamless and we look forward to welcoming him here next July after this season reaches its conclusion."
That early emergence is notable because the field was strong. Among those passed over was Jacques Nienaber, the Springboks World Cup winning coach who has been working at Leinster as senior coach under Cullen since the 2023-24 season. Argentina head coach Felipe Contepomi, a former Leinster star, also fell out of the race because of his commitments to the 2027 World Cup, while former All Blacks boss Scott Robertson and La Rochelle head coach Ronan O'Gara were linked with the role at various stages.
Planet Rugby reported that McNamara edged out the higher profile options, and RugbyPass confirmed the appointment on Tuesday, noting that Leinster moved for McNamara after failing to lure Contepomi away from Argentina.
The Bordeaux years
McNamara joined Bordeaux in 2023, after two years assisting the Sharks in Durban, where he forged a relationship with Yannick Bru that led him to France. As attack coach, he has fired up Bordeaux's potency, and the club have won back to back Champions Cups, twice finished as runners up in the Top 14, and are now chasing a third successive European title alongside French league honours.
There is a sting in that success for Leinster supporters: Bordeaux defeated Leinster in last season's Champions Cup final. The man who helped plot that victory will now be charged with avenging it, and with restoring Leinster to the top of Europe after a run of final defeats.
McNamara only signed a contract extension with Bordeaux earlier this year that was due to keep him in France through to the end of the 2028-29 season, which suggests Leinster and Bordeaux have struck a deal over his early release. He has been clear that his focus stays in France until the summer. He said: "I am delighted that I am returning to Leinster Rugby as head coach in 2027. This is one of the most prestigious roles in world rugby, and it is an honour to be given this responsibility." He added that he is grateful to Bordeaux, in particular to president Laurent Marti and head coach Yannick Bru, for supporting him in taking the opportunity, and that he is fully focused on a very exciting season ahead with Bordeaux before moving back to Leinster next summer.
The Cullen era
McNamara succeeds a giant of the province. Cullen revealed in June that he would step down at the end of the 2026-27 campaign, bringing to an end a trophy laden 12 years in charge. Since taking over in 2015, the former Ireland international has led Leinster to six league titles and the Champions Cup in 2018.
But the second half of his reign has been defined by near misses in Europe. Leinster have lost five Champions Cup finals since that 2018 triumph, including four in the past five years, a record that has frustrated supporters and fuelled debate about whether a change at the top was needed. Cullen, 48, leaves with his status as a Leinster legend secure, but with the European crown still eluding the province in recent seasons.
That context shapes the job McNamara inherits. The United Rugby Championship title remains within reach most seasons, but Leinster are judged, fairly or not, on Europe. The province's resources, academy pipeline and supporter base make them one of the best resourced clubs in world rugby, and the expectation is not just to compete in the Champions Cup but to win it.
What McNamara brings
McNamara's coaching CV is built on attack and development. He coached Ireland to an Under-20 Six Nations Grand Slam in 2019, a campaign that showcased his ability to get young players playing with ambition and precision. At Leinster, he worked in the academy system that has produced a stream of internationals, so he knows the province's structures from the inside.
At Bordeaux, he has shown he can add attacking edge to a team that already had power and physicality. Bordeaux's back to back European titles were built on a game that could score from anywhere, and McNamara's fingerprints are all over that approach. Leinster supporters will hope he brings the same daring to Dublin, where the team has sometimes been accused of becoming predictable in the biggest matches.
Questions for the new era
There are also questions to answer. Nienaber's future is one of them: the South African's contract expires at the end of the season, and reports have long linked him with a return to the Springboks set up ahead of the 2027 World Cup in Australia. Whether he works under McNamara or moves on will be one of the first issues the new head coach faces. SA Rugby Magazine noted that Nienaber now has clarity on his reporting line, while Ultimate Rugby carried the official confirmation from Leinster and the IRFU.
For now, though, the headline is simple: Leinster have their man, and he is a familiar face with a formidable recent record. McNamara will finish the season chasing a third European title with Bordeaux, then cross the water to take on one of the most scrutinised jobs in rugby. Flashscore also reported the announcement, underlining how quickly the news travelled beyond Ireland.
Our sports section will follow the transition closely, from Cullen's final months in charge to McNamara's first team selection next July. The handover is eight months away, but in rugby, as in any sport, the future starts the moment the announcement is made. The story has travelled across the world game and will be updated in our news section and on the Verity homepage, and our about page sets out how we cover major coaching appointments.
Rugby players in action during a tournament match on a grass pitch
Illustrative rugby action image, not Leinster or Bordeaux. Credit: Samson Ssemakadde, Wikimedia Commons, CC0.
