*Photograph: Eamon Ward
O’Callaghans Mills’ Noel McNamara is to take up a senior coaching position in South Africa.
McNamara is to take up a new coaching role with a South African United Rugby Championship franchise, the IRFU have confirmed. The Sharks are the favourites to land the services of the East Clare man.
While studying as a final year PE and Maths student at UL, Noel began his rugby coaching career with Glenstal Abbey. From here, he spent eight years over Clongowes Wood in Kildare guiding them to two Leinster Senior Schools Cup titles.
He will leave his role as Leinster Academy manager which he has been in since 2019 as a result. He was head coach of the Ireland U20s from 2018 to 2020 winning a Six Nations Grand Slam in 2019.
Noel joined the IRFU’s elite player pathway team in 2016 as a development officer at Leinster. He has coached both the Ireland and Leinster schools representative teams as well as Leinster U19s, U20s and Leinster A.
“I am grateful to the IRFU and Leinster Rugby for helping to facilitate this move which will be another great learning and development opportunity for me as a coach. I have received great support to date on my coaching journey garnering experience with multiple underage teams, exposure to senior provincial and national coaches and getting the opportunity of a three month placement with North Harbour in New Zealand,” he said on Wednesday.
