Shane Byrne paid tribute to former team-mate Leo Cullen on the day he announced that he will leave Leinster Rugby at the end of next season, and backed Ronan O’Gara to come in as his surprise replacement.
Cullen who has been in charge since 2015 and has guided the club to six URC titles as well as the 2018 Champions Cup, will remain at the helm until his contract expires at the end of the 2026-27 campaign.
Leinster, in collaboration with the IRFU, are now beginning a formal recruitment process and Byrne believes that O’Gara should be under consideration for the role.
“Why not? He has to go somewhere,” was Byrne’s response when asked if O’Gara could swap La Rochelle for Leinster.
“If you look at the international scene at the moment for him, you would expect that that’s the step he would like to make sooner rather than later. The door doesn’t seem to be open on that anywhere in particular in the countries that he would like to go for. So why not?
“Obviously, there’ll be plenty of slagging and eyebrows raised, but I think he’s beyond that now at this stage. He’s gone off, he’s done his tenure all around the world and he has the experience and he’s proven.
“Certainly, I wouldn’t have a problem with it. There’ll be full structures around him, get him in as the head coach.
“This is going to be one of the most sought after jobs in club coaching rugby in the world.”
Leinster players celebrate their latest URC success
Byrne believes that Cullen biggest legacy at Leinster will be as a head coach who helped develop and improve young players.
While there may be disappointment at their record in the Champions Cup where they’ve lost five of the six finals that they’ve been involved in under Cullen, Byrne insists that the head coach leaves the province in a much better state than he found them.
“If we had been told 14 years ago, that we’d be in eight finals, two semi-finals, win four, and multiple URCs, I think you would have bit the arm off that offer at that time.
“Ultimately, he’s built up a team that he’s encouraged squad depth, he’s brought on so many internationals. He’s had a team that has essentially been the backbone of the Irish setup for years now.
“He encourages talent through. If you’re good enough, he gives you a go. He keeps rotating the squads so that when a guy is needed in the big games, he’s not stuck like a rabbit in the headlights. He has experience, he’s been there before.
“That’s what’s created this depth in different positions of players who are well able to play at that provincial level, never mind the amount that have made the step up to international and beyond to the Lions.”