Jacques Nienaber: 'I don’t think people value me here'
SPOTLIGHT: There will be question marks around Jacques Nienaber’s future at Leinster after an explosive press conference on Monday.
The former Springbok coach admitted that he doesn’t feel valued in Ireland after a wave of criticism since he became Leinster’s senior coach under Leo Cullen.
At Monday’s Leinster presser, following the province’s 59-10 win over the Lions in the URC quarterfinals, the 53-year-old Nienaber was asked if he would definitely be with the team next season.
“If, like he said, I’m ‘a devil’…So if it’s according to him, probably not,” Nienaber snapped back (quotes sourced from Raidió Teilifís Éireann).
He was referring to Ruaidhri O’Connor of the Irish Independent, who wrote that Leinster and Ireland had “made a deal with the devil” when they brought Nienaber in after the 2023 World Cup.
“Let me put it to you this way. Who fires you? Do you know who fires you? The public, the media, they fire you,” Nienaber added.
“Not the CEO, not Shane [Nolan, Leinster CEO]. He doesn’t fire me, but you guys fire us, fire all coaches, because the pressure builds up and builds up, and the fans then build the pressure on them, and then they [the board] just ask this and say, ‘listen lads, I think we must part ways’.
“When I say you guys, I’m saying the media. There’s a misconception that people get fired by the CEOs. That is because of pressure put on CEOs by the boards, by people listening.
“Let’s say the board member has dinner with his mates and his friends, and they go, ‘Sheesh, that Nienaber, you signed a deal with the devil, man’. I’m quoting Ruadhri there: ‘You signed a deal with the devil, you need to get rid of that devil, he’s killing Irish rugby’. That is how you get fired.
“So, your question is, listen, am I going to be here? I hope so, OK. Currently, I’m not sure, to be honest.”
The Irish media in attendance pushed Nienaber to explain why he felt his future was uncertain.
“Because I don’t think people value me here. They don’t value me here. They don’t.”
And Nienaber wasn’t referring to his fellow coaches at Leinster.
“It’s not for Leo [to value me]. People don’t value…. The moment you lose the team or the fan, you’ve got to go. The moment you lose the changing room or the club, the fanbase you’ve got to go.
“You could just hang there and take your cheque, but no. They don’t want you there,” he added before confirming he has the support of the players.
The former Bok coach was also asked if he wanted to prove everyone wrong in Ireland.
“I’ve been here three years, coached two Finals and a semifinal of Europe. One semifinal loss, two Final losses. URC; semifinal and a Final. Won one.
“Listen, I can only fight through results, can’t I? I’m asking, am I that s**t?”
“You say ‘you’re making the deal with the devil; this risk isn’t paying off’. Are you supporting me?”
Will Nienaber change his defensive style to help the team?
“If it will be successful for the club, yeah, I will always serve the club,” he answered.
“The moment you are not serving the club, your ego is done.”
He added: “The question is, are you the best at that? For instance, you guys are in media, and you’re good at writing and words. They [the editors] say they don’t like the style of writing, they want you to be romantic, and you say, ‘I’m actually a very factual guy’.
“Then, you must make a decision. Are you going to move away from something that is your strength and then adapt to something that you’re not comfortable with, to be something or someone else?
“But I think the important thing is it must always be to the benefit of the club, if you feel you can do it.”
Source: RTÉ
