Leinster chief executive Shane Nolan says the process to appoint a new head coach is well underway, but he would not specifically comment on any potential candidates, including Ronan O’Gara.
The former Munster out-half and current La Rochelle head coach has been one of the standout candidates linked with taking over from Leo Cullen when he steps down in the summer of 2027.
Cullen, who has won seven trophies in 11 years in charge of his home province, confirmed in June that he would be departing at the end of the upcoming season, giving the Leinster and the IRFU plenty of time to decide his successor.
Nolan was asked if O’Gara was among the list of candidates, but kept his cards close to his chest.
“I can’t comment on any individual that we’re talking to or not talking to in the process,” the Leinster CEO said, speaking at an event at the recently renovated RDS, which will now be called Laya Arena.
“So the process has started, we’re underway and I’m happy to talk to you about the process about it but I can’t really point to any detail in terms of where we’re at or any names or any people we’re talking to.
“I’m very clear that before we even talk about individuals, it’s best to get the criteria lined down, and we spent a vast amount of time debating what are the criteria, and what are the corridors of criteria in terms of skills, expertise, attributes, experience.
“But my experience in hiring is if you don’t align on that, then you’re in danger of not making the best hire possible, so we spent time getting that right before we even talked about individuals.
“Once you do that, then you go to your candidates, and then you can make a party list, and it becomes more straightforward after that.”
Nolan (above) is part of a three-man group heading up the appointment process, alongside Guy Easterby (Leinster’s chief operating officer), and Frank Doherty (head of Leinster’s professional games board), who will work in collaboration with IRFU performance director David Humphreys.
And the CEO said they had been “incredibly impressed” with the list of applicants.
“I think it goes to the legacy of Leo [Cullen] that the job is so attractive,” he added.
“Every year we would have people coming to us and enquiring about employment opportunities, which is great. But we’ve been incredibly impressed with the calibre of people who have been interested since the news broke.
“It’s a very, very high calibre of people who are being considered or being talked to or have expressed interest in the role, so that’s really, really pleasing.”
Nolan also clarified that Cullen’s successor would not necessarily have to be in place for the next pre-season campaign, which leaves the door open to appointing a coach involved at the 2027 Rugby World Cup, with former Leinster out-half, coach, and current Argentina boss Felipe Contepomi expected to be a contender.
“We’re underway and as soon as we have something to announce we’ll announce it.
“The good thing is Leo’s given us plenty of time, he’s given us over 12 months’ notice so that gives us great comfort.
“We don’t have to rush any decision here, we can take our time and make sure we get the absolute best person for the job.
“We’re intentionally not putting any time on it because a lot will depend on contract negotiations etc.
“So we’re intentionally not holding ourselves to any specific timeline but we’re focussing on getting the absolute best person for the job,” he said.
While attention is already turning to who will replace Cullen (above) next summer, he still has one more season left at the province, which will bring him up to 12 years in charge.
And the chief executive took time to pay tribute to the head coach, who will have been involved either in a playing or coaching capacity at Leinster for 27 of the last 29 years.
“Where do you start? He’s been our most successful coach,” Nolan, who has been CEO since 2022, said.
“I think I heard it described that Leo’s been involved in every trophy we’ve won as a club since the professional era.
“Seven trophies in 11 years [as a coach]. He consistently gets us to finals and semi-finals year after year.
“I don’t believe any other coach in the world rugby is doing that. And he’s doing it primarily with home-grown players, 90% of our squad comes from Leinster.
“And I think, as I said, his legacy is down to the calibre of people who are knocking on the door trying to get his job. So he’ll be sorely missed.
“He’s such a big part of our story, and he always will be a big part of our story. But I think, as I’ve said to this community before, nobody’s in a job forever. So I’m excited for him that he’s moving on, but he’ll be desperately missed.”