Nienaber gets 'vital' task ahead of trip to South Africa
SPOTLIGHT: Leinster are covering all their bases as they go in search of more silverware this season, and Jacques Nienaber will be an important component in that goal.
Nienaber has entered his third season with the Irish giants after joining them back in 2023, after guiding the Springboks to World Cup glory in Paris.
The 52-year-old helped Leinster break their trophy drought last season when they won the United Rugby Championship. However, it seems there is still a lot of lingering pain around their Champions Cup campaign.
Last season, Leo Cullen’s side produced outstanding defensive performances against Harlequins (62-0) and Glasgow Warriors (52-0) in the Round of 16 and last eight before things fell apart in a 34-37 defeat to Northampton at home in their semifinal.
Leinster’s journey to potentially getting a double (URC and Champions Cup) this season starts in Cape Town next week with their URC Round One fixture against the Stormers. After that, they will head to Pretoria to face the Bulls before returning to Dublin for a match against the Sharks.
On the evolution of his team’s defensive system under the South African, Cullen told the Irish Mirror: “I think he [Nienaber] is the best defensive coach in the world and that’s what he brings.
“I don’t think there’s anyone better out there in terms of his pedigree on the biggest stage.
“The challenge for us is when you’re implementing new defensive systems in season one, it’s a clunky start because he goes on and wins a World Cup, and he arrives with the season up and running.
“You’re working in game-weeks, he doesn’t have a pre-season, so he’s had one pre-season [which was] leading into last season.
“Last season, we played 28 games, win 25 and lose three. Obviously, we remember the one specifically, but with those two previous Champions Cup knockout wins, we probably get seduced into thinking we’re bloody better than we are, sorry for cursing.
“Two ‘nils’ in the last 16 and the quarterfinal, then we don’t perform the way we’d have liked to on that particular [semifinal] day and I don’t want to hark back to that specifically.
“But with Jacques – this season, again, is slightly more challenging – we have a defensive system that players understand better, the bulk of the Lions crew who are out there training have had six sessions, four last week and two this week, but they’re picking up things straight away.”
Cullen is hoping the narrative about his team has changed after last year’s URC success, and he is also looking forward to seeing Leinster’s growth under Nienaber in the third season.
“Coaches always talk about the ‘third’ year, it’s vital, isn’t it? Two years building in and then you get success, it’s about evolving and how you stay involved, whether you win titles.
“The trick is to be there in finals, and there’s a narrative about losing finals, but listen, we’ve won our last one [the URC last season] is that narrative gone? It’s only narrative, the past is the past.
“We win, lose or draw, so can we kick on in the present.”
