Noel McNamara staying in France after signing new Bordeaux-Begles deal

Noel McNamara is the latest name to drop out of the running for Munster's vacant head coach position, after signing a contract extension with French side Bordeaux-Begles.

The former Ireland U20 head coach has extended his deal with last year’s Top14 finalists until the summer of 2027.

Munster are on the hunt for a new head coach following the sudden departure of Graham Rowntree last week, with head of rugby operations Ian Costello currently in charge on an interim basis while they conduct a search for a new boss.

McNamara made his name coaching the Ireland U20s between 2018 and 2020, winning a Six Nations Grand Slam in 2019, before moving on to lead Leinster’s academy.

In the summer of 2021, he signed for the Sharks where he spent two seasons in Durban, before switching to Bordeaux in 2023, where he was appointed attack coach.

His first season working with Bordeaux was largely successful as they finished third in the Top14 regular season before reaching the final where they lost to Toulouse, while they also made it to the quarter-finals of the Investec Champions Cup.

After a promising start to this season, with Bordeaux second in the table, McNamara has agreed a two-year extension which will bring him up to the summer of 2027.

Munster’s attack coach Mike Prendergast is now believed to be the frontrunner to become the province's next head coach, with talk cooling around a possible return for Felix Jones, who is currently working remotely for the RFU after stepping away from Steve Borthwick’s coaching staff at England.

All Blacks assistant and former Munster centre Jason Holland yesterday ruled himself out of contention.

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