LEINSTER RUGBY
Head CoachLeo Cullen
Leo Cullen is the head coach of Leinster, the most decorated in the province’s history, now in his final contracted season before leaving in June 2027.
Tenure record
as of 19 Jun 2026By competition
United Rugby Championship 21P · 15W · 0D · 6L
Champions Cup 8P · 7W · 0D · 1L
Leo Cullen has overseen 29 completed Leinster Rugby matches in our database since September 2025 — 22 won, 0 drawn, 7 lost. That is a 75.9% win rate, with 885 points scored and 588 conceded.
Records are computed from the WeTalkRugby match database and cover matches we hold data for within this tenure. They are not an official all-time record.
Coaching career
- 2015- Leinster Head Coach
Honours
- 2018 European Rugby Champions Cup (Leinster)
- 2026 United Rugby Championship (Leinster)
- 2025 United Rugby Championship (Leinster)
- 2021 Guinness PRO14 (Leinster)
- 2020 Guinness PRO14 (Leinster)
- 2019 Guinness PRO14 (Leinster)
- 2018 Guinness PRO14 (Leinster)
Players under Leo Cullen
Full squad →About Leo Cullen
Leo Cullen is the head coach of Leinster and the most decorated man to hold the job. In June 2026 the province confirmed he will leave at the end of his contract, making 2026/27 his final season after more than a decade in charge.
Born in January 1978, he was a lock for Leinster either side of two seasons at Leicester Tigers, where he won back-to-back Premierships. He won 32 Ireland caps and in 2011 became his country’s 100th captain. He also captained Leinster to three Heineken Cups as a player.
Building a system
Cullen joined the coaching staff as forwards coach in 2014 and was promoted to head coach in August 2015, the youngest of the professional era. His method has been less about personal technical control than about assembling elite specialists around him — Stuart Lancaster from 2016 to 2022, Jacques Nienaber from 2023 — and fusing them with the deepest academy pipeline in Europe. Leinster routinely field two competitive XVs, and that depth is his signature.
The record, and the gap in it
He has won six league titles, including the URC in 2025 and 2026, and the 2018 Champions Cup, and was named league Coach of the Year in 2018 and 2022. The counterweight is Europe: five Champions Cup final defeats, a competition record, the last of them to Bordeaux-Bègles in 2026. That tension — domestic dominance against European near-misses — defines how his tenure is argued about.
Frequently asked
Who is the head coach of Leinster Rugby?
Leo Cullen is the head coach of Leinster Rugby.
When did Leo Cullen take charge?
Leo Cullen took over at Leinster Rugby in August 2015, around 11 years ago.
What is Leo Cullen's record?
From 29 matches in our database: 22 wins, 0 draws and 7 defeats — a 75.9% win rate.
What nationality is Leo Cullen?
Leo Cullen is Irish.
How old is Leo Cullen?
Leo Cullen is 48 years old.
What has Leo Cullen won?
Honours include: European Rugby Champions Cup (Leinster) (2018), United Rugby Championship (Leinster) (2026), United Rugby Championship (Leinster) (2025), Guinness PRO14 (Leinster) (2021), Guinness PRO14 (Leinster) (2020).
