Former Munster star Tyler Bleyendaal to replace Andrew Goodman ...
Leinster have named former Munster player of the year Tyler Bleyendaal as their replacement next season for Ireland-bound backs coach Andrew Goodman.
Former fly-half Bleyendaal, 33, is currently attack coach with the Hurricanes in his native New Zealand. He has been coaching with the Wellington-based Super Rugby franchise since being recruited by Jason Holland having been forced to retire from the game in 2020 due to a neck injury that recurred throughout his five years playing with Munster.
With fellow Kiwi Goodman set to join Andy Farrell’s coaching ticket when Mike Catt departs the national set-up following this summer’s tour to South Africa, Leinster boss Leo Cullen has moved for an assistant who coached against Ireland at last year’s World Cup as part of the Tonga management.
“With Andrew taking up a position with the Ireland coaching group, we’ve had an opportunity not only to look at our own coaching structures here at Leinster but also to talk to a number of other coaches.
"Having gone through that process, we believe we are getting a really smart rugby mind in Tyler Bleyendaal,” Leinster head coach Leo Cullen told leinsterrugby.ie.
“Tyler has been with the Hurricanes for the last few seasons and has been steadily growing as a coach – you can see that in the way they’re playing now, not just their results but specifically in terms of some of the stats around their attack.
"He’s someone who knows Ireland well and understands the rugby landscape here which is important, but ultimately, we are keen for him add to our environment and for us to learn from him, which is our approach with all new coaches.
“We wish Tyler well for the rest of the Super Rugby season and look forward to welcoming him and his family to Leinster during the summer.”
A former New Zealand Under-20 captain, Christchurch-born Bleyendaal joined Munster from the Crusaders and played 62 times for the province between 2015 and 2019, primarily at number 10, where he guided his team to both the Champions Cup semi-final and PRO12 final in 2016-17.
That was a season in which he captained Munster for the first time and earned the province’s player of the year award.
The announcement of Bleyendaal’s return to Ireland, where his first child Bohdi was born in Limerick in 2018, comes as the Hurricanes currently lead the Super Rugby Pacific by five points, unbeaten seven games into the 2024 campaign under head coach Clark Laidlaw.
He is the second Leinster recruit from the franchise in as many days. On Monday, the URC league leaders and Champions Cup semi-finalists announced that All Black utility back Jordie Barrett would be joining them on a short-term contract next December.
Tyler Bleyendaal and Peter O’Mahony of Munster leave the pitch after the European Rugby Champions Cup Semi-Final match between Munster and Saracens at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Brendan Moran/SportsfileBleyendaal joins a coaching staff that also includes his former Munster defence coach Jacques Nienaber, who was added to Cullen’s staff as senior coach after leading South Africa to 2023 World Cup glory.
The latest recruit said he was looking forward to the challenge of coaching in a different rugby environment.
“I’d like to thank Hurricanes CEO Avan Lee, Clark and the coaching team as well as all of the players and staff involved at the Hurricanes for a brilliant few years,” Bleyendaal said.
“I am very grateful for the opportunity they gave me as a young coach and the experiences we have shared together since then.
“The opportunity to test myself in another environment and in another competition was one that I was very keen to explore, and I am equally grateful to Leo Cullen for the chance to continue my growth as a coach.
"I am looking forward to joining Leinster Rugby ahead of next season and my family and I are very excited for the adventure ahead in a country that we hold dear.”
