Huge news at Leinster suggests Jacques Nienaber is on his way back to South Africa

Leinster are set to appoint Noel McNamara as the successor to Leo Cullen, according to a report from the Irish Times, suggesting defensive mastermind Jacques Nienaber is set for a Springboks reunion.

The report claims that McNamara, currently part of the coaching ticket at Bordeaux-Begles, will return to his former province ahead of the 2027/28 season, with Cullen set to step down at the conclusion of the current campaign in 2027.

It puts to bed rumours that former Leinster star and current Los Pumas head coach Felipe Contepomi was to take the reins, with reports that the Argentinian doctor has ruled himself out of a return to Dublin.

La Rochelle top dog Ronan O’Gara was also linked with the role, although the Corkman’s appointment in South Dublin always looked like a stretch.

The news heavily implies that Nienaber’s rumoured return to South Africa ahead of the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia is all but a done deal, as has long been speculated.

The arrival of McNamara as a head coach will almost surely copper-fasten Nienaber’s return to Rassie Erasmus’ Springboks coaching ticket, with Erasmus famous for such staff reunions. The Bok head coach has already welcomed Felix Jones after an ill-fated soujourn with Steve Borthwick’s England.

Nienaber’s current Leinster contract expires at the end of the campaign. However, a six-month break clause would allow him to potentially return to SA early, even potentially before the end of Leinster’s current campaign.

McNamara’s signing would represent a significant coup for Leinster given he only signed a contract extension with the French club earlier this year that was due to keep him at Bordeaux through to the end of the 2028/29 season.

The news suggests that Leinster and UBB have struck a deal over his early release.

The Clare native’s stock has risen considerably since leaving the Irish system several years ago.

Having previously worked in Glenstal Abbey and Clongowes, he progressed through the Leinster pathway, serving as academy manager and later taking charge of Leinster A. He also enjoyed a successful spell with Ireland U20, leading the side to a Grand Slam-winning Six Nations campaign in 2019.

Yet despite an impressive coaching CV, McNamara departed Ireland in search of fresh opportunities abroad.

A stint in New Zealand with North Harbour was followed by a move to South Africa, where he joined the Sharks coaching staff. It was there that he first crossed paths with current Bordeaux head coach Yannick Bru.

When Bru was appointed by Bordeaux in 2023, McNamara was among the key figures he recruited as part of a coaching team tasked with turning the Top 14 side into genuine contenders.

The move has proved an inspired one.

Bordeaux finished as runners-up in the Top 14 during his first two seasons at the club before finally breaking through on the European stage in 2025 with a Investec Champions Cup victory over Northampton Saints.

The French side captured back-to-back Investec Champions Cup titles after hammering Leinster this May, establishing themselves as one of the dominant forces in northern hemisphere rugby and further enhancing McNamara’s reputation as one of the game’s brightest attacking coaches.

The former Leinster academy manager had been linked with a return to Ireland earlier this year following the vacancy in Munster’s coaching staff after Roger Randle withdrew from an agreement to join the province.

Instead, McNamara opted to commit his future to Bordeaux. That decision now appears set to be short-lived.