Leo Cullen to leave Leinster in 2027
Leo Cullen will leave Leinster at the end of the 2026/27 season after 12 years as head coach and major title success.
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Leinster head coach Leo Cullen will leave his role at the end of the 2026/27 season, bringing an end to a 12-year tenure in charge of the province.
Leo Cullen To Leave Leinster
Cullen has confirmed that he will step away when his current contract expires at the conclusion of next season. By then, he will have spent 12 years in the role and more than three decades connected to Leinster since first representing the province as a Schools player.
The former lock said the timing felt right to move on to a new challenge, while also stressing that he remains fully committed to Leinster until the end of his contract.
Leinster Coaching Tenure
Cullen retired as a player in 2014 and stayed with Leinster as forwards coach before becoming head coach in 2015. During his time in charge, Leinster won the Champions Cup in 2018 and secured six domestic league titles across the competition now known as the United Rugby Championship.
The 2018 European triumph was a major milestone in Cullen’s coaching career. Having previously won the top European title three times as a player, he became the first person to win the competition as both a player and a coach.
Cullen said continuity was important heading into the summer, with Leinster preparing to return to Laya Arena next season and manage changes within the playing squad.
“By the end of next season, in 2027, I will have been in my current job for 12 years. It’ll also be 32 years since I first represented Leinster as a Schools player! So, I think the timing will be right for me to move on to a new challenge,” Cullen said.
“I managed 10 years as a player on different Leinster teams before moving to Leicester in 2005 and then returning to Leinster in 2007 to go on to experience some of the most amazing days imaginable.
“As many of you will know, I’m committed to Leinster up until the end of next season, and I intend to honour my contract, as I always have done.
“We’re moving back to Laya Arena at the start of next season, and we can’t wait for that homecoming. We also have players leaving Leinster and other players who’ll potentially be coming in. So, I think it’s good to have continuity and certainty heading into the summer.”
