Leinster 's search for a new head coach is officially underway. Leo Cullen confirmed in June that he'll step away from the role at the end of the 2026/27 season, bringing the curtain down on 12 years in the job, a reign that delivered a sixth URC title (back-to-back in 2025 and 2026) and the 2018 Champions Cup , even if five further European finals slipped through his fingers.
Cullen and his current backroom staff, including senior coach Jacques Nienaber , will see out this coming season before making way, so there's no immediate vacancy to fill.
That hasn't stopped Leinster and the IRFU already opening a formal recruitment process, though – or the bookies getting a market up early.
So who are the top five contenders to take over at the RDS ?
Ronan O’Gara
Ronan O'Gara – 11/4
Well, this would be quite the story wouldn't it? The bookies' favourite to replace Leo Cullen ironically enoughis a Munster man. O'Gara has built one of the most impressive coaching CVs in the game since taking the top job at La Rochelle , winning back-to-back Champions Cups in 2022 and 2023 and turning Les Maritimes into one of the most watchable sides in the Top 14 .
Throw in earlier spells as an assistant at Racing 92 (a Top 14 title) and the Crusaders (two Super Rugby titles), and it's about as complete a coaching résumé as you'll find outside Leinster 's own dugout. His La Rochelle contract runs to 2027, which lines up neatly with Cullen's exit, and a return to the IRFU fold would also put him in the frame to eventually succeed Andy Farrell with Ireland .
Would Leinster supporters take to their old rival in blue? Would O'Gara be interested or would he rather a hyptohetical role with Munster ? It'll certainly be an interesting story to watch out for and could cast an illuminating eye on where the IRFU's priorities lie.
Felipe Contepomi
Felipe Contepomi – 3/1
" The Doctor " ticks almost every box. A Champions Cup winner as a Leinster player, he went on to spend four years as the province's backs coach between 2018 and 2022 before heading home to take charge of Argentina , where he's turned the Pumas back into genuine World Cup contenders.
Contepomi 's attacking instincts are exactly what Leinster's supporters have spent recent seasons crying out for, and he remains hugely popular in Dublin .
The catch is timing: he's expected to see his Argentina contract through to the 2027 World Cup , which could leave Leinster waiting a year, or looking elsewhere if they want their man in place for the start of next season.
Scott Robertson
Scott Robertson – 3/1
The biggest name currently out of work. ' Razor ' won seven successive Super Rugby titles with the Crusaders , an extraordinary run that made him the most coveted coach in the game before New Zealand came calling.
His time with the All Blacks didn't work out and he was axed earlier this year after presiding over the team's worst results of the professional era, but nobody seriously questions his club-level pedigree.
He's currently filling in with the Barbarians , and a move to Dublin would be a serious statement of intent from Leinster , even if question marks remain over how his style would mesh with the more structured demands of the IRFU system.
Stuart Lancaster
Stuart Lancaster – 5/1
Nobody outside the current group knows this environment better. Lancaster spent seven years as Leinster 's senior coach alongside Cullen , helping deliver four straight PRO14 titles and the 2018 Champions Cup , and he's widely credited with reshaping the club's attacking identity along the way.
The obvious problem is timing: he's only one season into a two-year deal at Connacht , having taken over there in the summer of 2025 after leaving Racing 92 .
Jumping to a fellow Irish province this soon would raise eyebrows, even for a job like this one. Never say never, but this one might need patience on both sides.
Johnny Sexton
Johnny Sexton – 5/1
The romantic wildcard. Sexton has only been coaching for a little over a year, working within Andy Farrell 's Ireland set-up and on last year's Lions tour, so jumping straight into one of club rugby's biggest jobs would be a serious leap of faith.
But he is Leinster and Ireland through and through, adored by supporters, and clearly serious about building a coaching career. Leinster have taken chances on green coaches before Cullen himself only got the nod as an interim appointment back in 2015.
Could Sexton be next? I wouldn't be so sure, I think the job description will now guarantee as close to "immediate" success in Europe as possible and though Sexton's history with the province has to be respected I still don't think he fits that description.
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Bill is as passionate about Irish football as they come, with an agonising longing to see his country grace a World Cup stage. A League of Ireland devotee and lifelong Man United fan, he knows better than most what sporting heartbreak feels like, and brings that perspective to the BOYLE Sports Blog. With roots in greyhound racing and a curiosity spanning politics, snooker, WWE and beyond, there is rarely a sporting conversation he cannot add to.
