Opinion: Leo Cullen must ‘step aside’ at Leinster and the polarising replacement that would ‘bring the final piece’
Leinster head coach Leo Cullen is under pressure to deliver silverware.
Connacht announced the appointment of their latest head coach on June 3, as Stuart Lancaster has opted to return to Ireland but this time in the west.
The former England head coach has returned to work following a brief hiatus after he was let go from his duties at Racing 92 in Paris.
Right throughout the province, from Sligo to Galway and from Leitrim to Mayo, fans greeted the announcement with excitement.
Lancaster did fantastic work in his time with Leinster, helping them lift the PRO14 on four occasions and one Champions Cup through some truly great and mesmerising rugby.
Leinster mood
This feeling of excitement is something Leinster would love to recapture, as the province feels like they just want the season to end despite being in a United Rugby Championship (URC) semi-final.
Their supporters don’t feel excited about turning out to potentially watch their team win a trophy, with Leo Cullen making an emotional plea for fans to show up and create an atmosphere for the players against Glasgow Warriors.
Leinster players and fans had their hearts set on a fifth star, but a surprise defeat to Northampton Saints in the Champions Cup ended that, with the URC title only seen as a consolatory prize now, and fans at a minimum seem disinterested in the competition.
It truly is worrying looking at it from the outside, and maybe it is time for a refresh at the province.
Cullen will enter his tenth year as Leinster head coach next season, and he has carried on the success of his predecessors during his playing career at the province.
He has been a steadying presence at the helm of the four-time Champions Cup winners, as the other three Irish provinces have had their peaks and troughs during his tenure at Leinster.
Every trophy Leinster have won since the formation of the Celtic League, Cullen has been involved either on the pitch or in the coaches’ box.
Yet it may be time for Cullen to step aside after this season or the expiration of his contract next year and allow another man to take the reins to rediscover excitement in their fans.
Cullen is just the latest in a long line of successful coaches in charge of the Irish province.
Prior to the Wicklow native was Matt O’Connor, who secured one PRO12 in his two seasons; however, more famously, this was preceded by the tenures of Joe Schmidt and Michael Cheika.
New Zealander Schmidt may have had more success as he guided the province to two Champions Cups, a Challenge Cup and one PRO12, but the groundwork was laid by the Australian Cheika during his five seasons at Leinster, winning a Celtic League and their first Champions Cup.
This is important to note, as fans may fear that without Cullen, there would be a major disruption at the province, but there is evidence Leinster can deal with a change of head coach easily and continue winning trophies.
So, who should be the man to reinvigorate the province?
There would be many good options that will spring to many minds, yet there is one who would be an ideal candidate.
Michael Cheika.
Leinster fans are well aware of the world-class quality of the Australian and his ability to operate the side during his tenure.
However, he has evolved since then, growing as a head coach and achieving some remarkable achievements.
He managed to drag Australia to the 2015 Rugby World Cup final, losing to an impressive New Zealand side; secured the Waratahs’ first-ever Super Rugby title in 2014; and managed to reach the World Cup semi-final with Argentina in 2023.
At present he is the head coach of Leicester Tigers, and he has transformed the club in his one year in charge to be battling for the Premiership title.
Sale Sharks director of rugby, Alex Sanderson, is in awe of the job he has done in his short spell, taking them from a side that finished eighth in 2024 to semi-finalists in 2025.
Sanderson said: “I’ve got a lot of respect for him.
“I know how hard it’s been year in, year out, to get to this point where we feel like we can make this step, we can get to a final, we can win a final, and it’s taken years to get the team to this position in terms of recruitment, cohesion, alignment, psychological safety, everything that goes behind the scenes off the field, and he’s done it in a year.
“He’s done it with a group in a year when they’ve had four directors of rugby in the past four years.
“There’s so much turnover and turmoil that he’s had to pull together, and he’s done it so quickly, like I say, and gotten so aligned, and they’re playing such a highly combative brand of rugby; it’s remarkable. It shows the quality of coach that Michael Cheika is.”
While Cheika will not be needed to come in and rebuild Leinster due to the stability the province has had under Cullen, he will bring the final piece they need.
Sought-after job
Being that strong personality to get them over the line to that fifth Champions Cup, in a similar fashion to how he was able to guide the club to their first in 2009.
Any coach in world rugby would love to be at the helm of Leinster due to the vast resources and talent at the province.
However, the province needs the right man to bring about the success, and Cheika would be able to deliver the silverware.
Cullen could still deliver Leinster’s ninth domestic title this season, but with the talent he has at his disposal, the quality of rugby they are producing currently is not good enough.
While Cullen is struggling to get the most out of a world-class group, Cheika would extract every ounce from the team, and this is why he should be seen as an option when Leinster decide to move on from their current head coach.
