Ronan O’Gara responds to speculation linking him with Leinster job
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The big question.
Ronan O’Gara has responded to the ongoing speculation linking him with succeeding Leo Cullen as Leinster head coach.
The former Ireland and Munster out-half has been strongly linked with the position since Cullen announced he will step down at the end of the 2026/27 season.
The timing has added to the intrigue, with O’Gara’s current contract at La Rochelle also due to expire next summer.
And the link is more than simply outside speculation. IRFU performance director David Humphreys has said that he would expect O’Gara to be among the candidates considered for the position, having also spoken to him about his future coaching ambitions.
O’Gara has now addressed the situation himself in his latest Irish Examiner column.
“With a contract coming to an end, it could chime with opportunities to consider other options, but where I sit today, La Rochelle is the only project in my eyeline,” O’Gara wrote.
He added that some of the discussion surrounding Leinster has been “interesting or even a tad amusing”, but his immediate focus remains firmly on La Rochelle.
O’Gara has already led the French club to back-to-back Champions Cup titles, famously defeating Leinster in the 2022 and 2023 finals.
The Top 14 title continues to elude him, however, and La Rochelle will begin their latest pursuit against Toulouse next weekend.
O’Gara has also indicated that he would like to remain with La Rochelle beyond the end of his existing contract.
His comments arrive just days after Leinster CEO Shane Nolan provided an update on the province’s search for Cullen’s successor.
Nolan refused to discuss individual candidates but revealed Leinster have been impressed by the calibre of coaches interested in the role and stressed that they will take their time to find the right person.
Leinster are also prepared to consider a candidate involved at the 2027 Rugby World Cup, meaning their eventual successor would not necessarily need to arrive in time for the beginning of pre-season.
