Leinster Team Talk Thread (Love you Furlong time)

I don't see why they started looking for a new coach and their hand was forced by a media story is any more complicated.

it's not?

None of this only happened this morning, that's obvious. The question is why they started looking for a new coach. It's being framed by some as Leo being fired, but you do not fire a guy and leave him in situ for a year.

The simplest explanation is that the man himself just wants to move on and their hand was forced by a media story

I love seeing this because nothing so succinctly says “I don’t know what I’m talking about” more than this.

How the hell could someone possibly know that this is the explanation?

LOL

The reality is we don't know either way for now.

I don't believe the reaction inside the building is generally as negative on his tenure as it is amongst elements of the fanbase, and there was already scope for a lot of change there (with Nienaber 99% likely to move on) which could have driven a lot of change in the coaching box without taking out Cullen too.

He is a guy who was a borderline picture of stoicism for the best part of a decade in the job, and then notably this year has been considerably more irked with the media, with the general perception around the team, and, probably, with elements of the fanbase too I suspect. It was widely reported earlier this season about the pressure this was all taking on his family too, Leo commented on his son leaving the Toulon game at half time.

To me, it looks likelier he has just decided he has had enough, and doesn't have the energy to muster up another tilt at it again.

The reality is, right now we don't know.

I personally wouldn't like to see ROG in the job. It's not because I don't think he's a good coach - he very clearly is. I could put up an argument we may have gotten over the line in a final or two over the past few years with him at the helm maybe, but I could put forward an equally credible if not more credible argument that we simply wouldn't have gotten to as many finals with him in the hotseat too, and we wouldn't have produced the players we've produced.

Beyond that - it's an appointment that would create an insane amount of noise in Irish rugby circles, and he brings a mountain of baggage with him (47 weeks of touchline suspensions since 2021). He was also classless and made a bit of a tit of himself in how he carried himself after the 2023 European Cup Final in Dublin.

So journalists should just conform to the interests of Leinster Rugby?

They’re not PR mouthpieces for Leinster.

I think Leo will be sorely missed in Leinster and Irish rugby. He wasn’t a coach as such, he really did very little on field coaching. He was more of a Director of Rugby, liaising with the IRFU, the academy, AIL coaches for players getting gametime, and then also responsible for leading up the performance of the team on a weekly basis - in which he leaned heavily on his coaches, in particular Lancaster and JN. In this respect I think it’s a very difficult job to find a replacement. I think Mark McCall would be the obvious choice in that he has experience of a somewhat similar role in Saracens.

I understand the noise around Noel McNamara and he is clearly a talented coach but I don’t think he would be ready to take over from Leo. I would much prefer to see him take over as the attack coach working under a head coach/director when and if that would become available.

ROG as many have said carries so much with him and would he have the patience to do what Leo has done? Maybe he would but I don’t think that appointment is a slam dunk either.

Contepomi is interesting and I think that he’d be capable in that he has played and worked for us and the role of international coach has probably given him huge experience in all of the off-field duties.

Lancaster - I think he is at his best when he can solely concentrate on field coaching. He is doing really well at Connacht and the pressure and duties of being a head coach there just aren’t as big as Leinster.

Overall, I think I’d like to see Mark McCall replace Leo with Noel McNamara brought in as an attack coach. If JN were to leave then we would need to replace him as a defence coach too.

As for Leo, what a contribution to Leinster and Irish rugby. It’s a shame that the media (ROC in particular) insist on bashing Leo so often. ROC often talks about the “resources” Leinster have. Most of the squad is homegrown and despite what he thinks, they don’t just roll in off of Ailesbury road and out of Blackrock ready to be a senior pro. It takes time and care to develop these players. I didn’t hear about Munsters resources when they were signing Snyman or De Allende.

I hope there is a role in Irish Rugby for Leo because I think he’s one of the most important figures in the sport in Ireland in the last 20 years.

The bad news is, how long it took to get him out of there.

The good news, he's gone.

Very few unhappy people after that news. Now he'll find out what the RTE D J's did, there's very few interested parties out there ready to take him on at this level. In a position way over his head or abilities, but obviously knew the right people. Thankfully there was someone who eventually saw sense.

If they were pushing him out, they'd have just done it already.

Exactly this. If Cullen wanted to stay on but was denied, leaving him in place for a whole year would be madness. This isn't like James Lowe playing his heart out in his farewell performances, it's asking a guy to turn up day after day, week after week, month after month, knowing that nothing he can do will save his job. No one is going to give his best under those circumstances and it would be Leinster who would pay the price.

I don't know what the circumstances are to Noel McNamaras contract with Bordeaux. His recent reported deal runs until 28/29.

If there was a way to get him out of that early - assuming he's receptive to the idea - I think he should be Leinsters primary target.

His success as academy manager, U20s and Bordeaux speaks for itself.