Nienaber responds to rumoured Bok return
SPOTLIGHT: Senior Leinster coach Jacques Nienaber responded to comments made in an interview regarding a possible return to the Springboks.
The former World Cup-winning head coach joined Leinster post the 2023 global showpiece and helped the Irish powerhouse to win the 2024/25 United Rugby Championship title.
During the Boks’ Nations Series tour, Nienaber was interviewed by a South African broadcasting company on his life in Dublin after his stint with the Boks.
In the interview, he made a comment where he said, “I miss the Boks”.
It was taken out of context from the Dublin faithful who questioned his commitment to the club.
Nienaber poured cold water on the subject, stating that the interview was about his time in Leinster.
“The whole interview was about my time in Leinster,” he said. “Do yourself the trouble of listening to the whole interview, and you’ll see the whole context,” Nienaber told an Irish media outlet.
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“The passing of Anthony Foley learned me the lesson that you can’t plan too much in the future…
“When Axel passed away, it hit me like a tonne of bricks in the face. You only have now.”
Jacques Nienaber’s full response when asked about his recent ‘I miss the Boks’ comments🗣️ pic.twitter.com/b16PQu5Hu1
— Pat McCarry (@patmccarry) December 1, 2025
He said the viral line about missing the Springboks had been lifted from a wider answer.
“Then I said that it’s not to say that because I enjoy Leinster that I don’t enjoy South Africa or I don’t love the Springboks. I still love the Springboks, and I enjoyed my time there.”
“It doesn’t sound like because I enjoy it here, I dislike what I did there. That was the whole thing, that was the comment,” he added.
“I get used to it now, people just taking the ‘I really love the Springboks’ line, and they just go onto that.”
Nienaber added that he and his family are settled and happy in Dublin and will see what life holds for them when his contract ends with Leinster in 2027.
“You start making friends in Ireland that you can actually go on holiday with… We really enjoy Dublin and the club. I enjoy working with the players, and there is a lot of stimulation.
“I said my contract with Leinster is until the end of the 2027 season. That’s when my contract finishes, and that is a fact. It’s common knowledge, everybody knows that.”
“I can’t tell you what happens then. I’m the sole provider of my family.
“My wife is not working. She can’t work as a physio in Ireland because there are enough physios here. It’s on the red list,” he added.
“My two kids are studying, so I must get a job. So, hopefully, I will get a job after my contract expires with Leinster.
“Whatever then is up that’s the best for me to provide for my family and suits my family, I will definitely look at that.”
