A couple of weeks ago, my housemates and I had to list a bedroom for rent in our house.
The listing was only live for a week, and when we closed it ahead of our viewings, the final count on the emails we received was 347.
One would imagine – and hope – that IRFU Performance Director David Humphreys and Leinster Rugby CEO Shane Nolan have a more robust vetting process than our house when it comes to selecting the province’s next head coach, but their inbox is likely to be just as busy over the next few months (For those wondering, Paddy from Laois loves his hurling, and he should make for a solid addition to our group).
In trying to whittle down the list of coaches who are interested in becoming Leo Cullen’s successor, it’s probably easier to make a list of those who aren’t.
You only have to go back three years, when Jacques Nienaber was confirmed as Stuart Lancaster’s replacement as senior coach, to get a sense of the pulling power the URC champions have.
Unless Ugo Mola or Yannick Bru make surprising departures from their jobs at Toulouse or Bordeaux-Begles, Leinster’s head coach vacancy will be the most sought after job in club rugby.
Whoever does arrive in Dublin 4 next summer will have high expectations to live up to, but also enviable resources; a squad laden with Ireland internationals and British and Irish Lions, a competitive budget that can top up the squad with a marquee signing or two, a shiny new stadium, and a wealthy schools system providing the province with the pick of the country’s young talent.
Granted, there’s a spine of the squad that are hitting their mid-30s, but as club jobs go, there are few anywhere near as attractive.
Leo Cullen will depart Leinster in the summer of 2027
It’s a pity Cullen’s announcement didn’t come with a few games to play in the season, if only for the chance to ask the all-important question to the various head and assistant coaches operating around Europe.
Last Friday’s URC Grand Final win against the Bulls was his sixth since taking over as head coach in 2015, while there was also a Champions Cup title in 2018.
Of course, it’s fair to point out that the trophy haul could and should have been a bit higher, with five Champions Cup final defeats in that time, three of which were there to be won.
Whether or not Cullen is able to finish his time at the province with one more Champions Cup, he’ll leave behind a remarkable legacy, both as a coach and a player.
Seven of the 15 trophies Leinster have won in the professional era have been lifted with Cullen as head coach, and the other eight have been won with him as a player.
Having retired from playing in 2014, the former second row pivoted immediately to the role of forwards coach, and within a year he was Leinster’s interim head coach after Matt O’Connor’s departure in 2015.
It’s remarkable to think that his interim role became permanent shortly after because the province couldn’t find a good enough candidate with experience. The fact that the province can almost hand pick his replacement is as good a legacy as any.
In confirming that Cullen would see out his contract and depart in the summer of 2027, the province are taking a calculated risk by getting out there early.
On one hand, there is naturally a lame duck gamble heading into next season, but with 2027 being a World Cup year, they will be going to market at a good time.
Leo Cullen was appointed head coach in 2015
The World Cup in Australia doesn’t wrap up until mid-November, which would make hiring a coach straight from that tournament tricky, but it’s not impossible if interim arrangements are in place to bridge the gap. With a full year to make those arrangements, Leinster have time on their hands.
If they aren’t going down the route of appointing from Test rugby, the timing would suit any number of high profile club coaches to come in at the start of a new World Cup cycle.
Their first port of call could be to look within, at the double World Cup winner who is the head of their rugby programme. Nienaber’s contract is due to expire at the same time as Cullen’s and while the expectation would have been for their senior coach to return to South Africa, the prospect of being able to fully put his stamp on Leinster could tempt him to stay.
Ronan O’Gara’s name had been thrown around even before the announcement that Cullen would be leaving. Similarly, the La Rochelle boss is out of contract next summer, by which point he will have been at the French club for eight years.
He has long stated his ambitions to become a head coach at Test level, and although there may be Test opportunities for him in 2027, a successful stint at Leinster and being back under the IRFU umbrella would position himself perfectly to become Andy Farrell’s eventual successor with Ireland.
It would be a spectacular crossing of the aisle for one of Munster’s greats, but rugby is a professional business, and O’Gara (below) has the track record and personality to deal with the expectations of the job.
One aspect of the appointment is vital is that the next Leinster head coach can operate within the IRFU system. Cullen’s predecessor, O’Connor, was often frustrated by the union’s control over gametime of his top talent.
Former New Zealand boss Scott Robertson is arguably the biggest name available who is currently out of work. Despite being ousted at the All Blacks, ‘Razor’ remains highly regarded from his time with the Crusaders where he won five Super Rugby titles, and two Super Rugby Aotearoa titles during the Covid-19 years, while he would have experience dealing with the same selection restraints as Cullen, given New Zealand’s similar policies.
He would also be quite familiar with the rugby philosophy of Leinster. During Covid, Leinster and the Crusaders linked up a special project where they shared data and information with each other, with one side then presenting a strategy for how they would try to beat the other, and vice-versa.
It was driven by Stuart Lancaster, another name that has been mentioned a lot in the last 24 hours.
The former Leinster senior coach has just completed a promising debut season at Connacht, but has previously spoken of his wash to return to Leinster some day. Connacht Rugby CEO Willie Ruane will be in for a nervous summer as he tries to keep Lancaster in Galway beyond 2027.
Stuart Lancaster spent seven years as senior coach at Leinster
Other former Leinster coaches have been linked with a return; Joe Schmidt would be a popular appointment and still has family ties to Dublin, while Felipe Contepomi has Argentina playing a brand of rugby that would appeal to Leinster supporters.
Then there are the young, glamorous Irish-abroad options, albeit without senior head coaching experience; Felix Jones has carved out a major reputation with the Springboks, while Bordeaux-Begles attack coach Noel McNamara knows many of the current Leinster squad from his time as the head of their academy, as well as his time with Ireland’s U20s.
Of course, this is just a back-of-beer-mat list of candidates who have obvious links to Leinster or Irish rugby.
If the province’s decision-makers scratch below the surface, their shortlist can become as long as they want it to be.
With that much choice, the only certainty is that there is no excuse not to make the right appointment.