Leinster move closer to naming coach

Leinster's said on Monday their new coach may be announced within the next fortnight. However, the Leinster chief executive Mick Dawson indicated the process of appointing a long-term successor to Declan Kidney may take longer than that and that the suggested time-frame "is an aspiration rather than a definite target".

The hot new tip is David Nucifora, who guided the ACT Brumbies to last year's Super 12 title and is currently technical director in the Auckland Blues set-up. However, despite his success with the Brumbies, Nucifora was effectively the victim of player power, and removed as head coach at the end of last season. It is not even clear Nucifora has applied for the vacancy.

The decision will be made by the Leinster Provincial Management Committee under the chairmanship of Bryan McLoughlin, and which also includes Dawson, team manager Paul McNaughton, President Paddy Boylan, Caleb Powell and Louis Magee, pending ratification by the IRFU.

The interviewing process is under way and is being conducted by Dawson, McNaughton, McLoughlin and the IRFVU representative, Eddie Wigglesworth. It is believed the trio were in London on Monday, fuelling another rumour the new coach will be "an ex-England international". As this does not now include the Harlequins-bound Dean Richards, this may shorten the odds on the Gloucester director of rugby, Nigel Melville, and perhaps also his coaching assistant Dean Ryan.

Other names being mentioned are John Kirwan, who is believed to have had informal talks with Leinster, and the ex-Celtic Warriors coach Lynn Howells. John Connolly has reputedly committed to a six-month contract extension at Bath and former London Irish coach Brendan Venter is reportedly not inclined to abandon his medical practice back in South Africa.

An interesting spectator at Sunday's Celtic Cup semi-final at Lansdowne Road was the recently-removed Scottish coach Matt Williams. The Australian, who led Leinster for two productive years in which they won the inaugural Celtic League and reached the quarter-finals and semi-finals of the Heineken European Cup, would be welcomed back by the majority of Leinster's international contingent.

As Dawson put it yesterday: "A short list will be drawn up tomorrow (Wednesday) and any speculation as to who the new coach is would be very premature at this stage."

Leinster outhalf David Holwell has had the red card he received in Sunday's Celtic Cup semi-final (the first of his career) rescinded after a disciplinary hearing yesterday. Video evidence failed to substantiate the reason for his dismissal, namely he kneed Peter Stringer in the head.

Leinster and Holwell had been exploring the possibility of the Kiwi outhalf returning to play for the province in next season's European Cup, but as the 30-year-old outhalf is signed to play for Northland in the NPC, this would most likely keep him there for play-offs until October 21st, in which case he would not be cleared to play in the Heineken Cup prior to the ERC registration date.