Noel McNamara has been appointed as the new head coach of Leinster, taking over from Leo Cullen at the end of the season. The 43-year-old currently serves as attacking coach at Bordeaux Begles, where he helped mastermind a dominant 41-19 victory over Leinster in the Investec Champions Cup final in May. McNamara described the Leinster role as "one of the most prestigious roles in world rugby".
McNamara's coaching career includes five years at Leinster as academy manager and Leinster A head coach, during which he also guided Ireland's Under-20s to a Grand Slam in 2019. He moved to South Africa in 2021 to join the Sharks as attack and backs coach before joining Bordeaux in 2023, contributing to back-to-back European titles.
Ireland full-back Hugo Keenan, who played under McNamara at UCD and in the Leinster academy, welcomed the appointment as "great news" and "an exciting appointment". Keenan highlighted McNamara's different perspective gained from his time in South Africa and success at Bordeaux. Back-rower Jack Conan added that the appointment will be "huge" for the squad, praising McNamara as a "great man and rugby brain" and noting the players are excited for the change.
McNamara's approach was evident in the Champions Cup final, where he used golfer Rory McIlroy's back-to-back Masters wins as motivation for his players. He also spoke about Leinster's resilience, saying "tough times create tough people". Keenan noted McNamara's clear fingerprint on Bordeaux's attacking play and expressed enthusiasm to work with him.
Outgoing coach Leo Cullen leaves a trophy-laden legacy, including six league titles and the Champions Cup in 2018, though his side lost five finals in the competition, four in the past five years. Keenan believes McNamara's deep knowledge of the club will help evolve the team while preserving Leinster's identity. He singled out McNamara's man-management and presence in a room as key attributes that will aid his transition to head coach.
