We take a look at the contenders to be the next head coach of Leinster Rugby, as Leo Cullen announces that he will depart the Irish province this summer.
Cullen, 48, spent the majority of his career - as a player and a coach - on the books at Leinster, having been the head coach of the Irish side for over a decade.
Having spent 14 years with the club as a player, Cullen stayed on as forwards coach after retiring in 2014, before being handed the reigns as head coach in 2015.
Cullen departs the RDS Arena a bona fide Leinster legend, having won six United Rugby Championship titles - including winning back-to-back in 2025 and 2026 - four Irish Shields and one European Rugby Champions Cup, though he did lose five European finals.
With Cullen's departure already confirmed, we take a look at who could replace the Leinster icon in the hot seat next season.
Next Leinster Rugby Head Coach Contenders
Ronan O'Gara
An Irish legend, but a one-clubman for Munster as a player, Ronan O'Gara is likely to be towards the top of Leinster's shortlist.
The La Rochelle head coach has had a strong start to his coaching career, lifting the Top 14 title as an assistant coach with Racing 92, two Super Rugby titles as an assistant at the Crusaders, before taking over at Les Maritimes.
Since being handed the job as a number one, O'Gara has established himself as a progressive, entertaining manager, winning back-to-back European Rugby Champions Cup titles in 2021/22 and 2022/23.
It remains to be seen whether or not a Munster legend would trade his position on the West Coast of France for Leinster, but he would be the ideal replacement for the outgoing Cullen.
Scott Robertson
Currently out of a job, ignoring his current temporary position in charge of the Barbarians, former New Zealand head coach Scott Robertson could be an option for Leinster this summer.
With a storied history of All Black representation, Leinster are no strangers to recruiting from Down Under, with half of their head coaches in the modern era being from either New Zealand or Australia.
'Razor' Robertson has had an exceptional coaching career to this point, winning five consecutive Super Rugby titles while in charge of the Crusaders, earning himself the All Blacks job.
While his time with the New Zealand national team was ultimately unsuccessful, Robertson is a top-level club coach and would be an extremely ambitious appointment from Leinster, should they decide to go for him.
Joe Schmidt
Could a romantic return be on the cards?
Joe Schmidt has become synonymous with Irish rugby, having had extremely successful stints in charge at Leinster and the Irish national team.
Currently head coach of the Wallabies, prying the New Zealander away from his current job won't be easy, but with Australian rugby struggling financially, a healthy pay packet could be enough to persuade Schmidt to return to Ireland.
Stuart Lancaster
Having spent seven years at the club as a number two, could Stuart Lancaster return as head coach this summer?
The Englishman had an extremely successful time with Leinster between 2016 and 2023, playing a key role in Leo Cullen's trophy-laden time in charge of the club.
If Leinster would rather keep the status quo from Cullen's time at the club, Lancaster would be able to draw on his experiences with the Irish province and maintain a similar system to that which they currently use.
Currently head coach at fellow Irish side Connacht, it may be difficult to persuade the club to part with Lancaster, however he would surely jump at the chance to return to Dublin this summer.
Johnny Sexton
A wildcard suggestion, could Johnny Sexton open his coaching career with one of club rugby's biggest jobs?
To date, Sexton has only held small roles within coaching, operating as a consultant for the Irish national team and as an assistant coach for the British & Irish Lions in 2025.
The Leinster and Ireland legend knows the club from back to front and, with his knowledge of the game, could have a similar career to that of O'Gara.
While appointing Sexton may be a risk for the Irish province, a club-man - like Leo Cullen before him - could be exactly what they need to steady the ship, during their first head coach change in over a decade.
