Sharks coach on Leinster challenge: 'It's not about Joey v Jacques'
INTERVIEW: Sharks defence coach Joey Mongalo opened up on their clash against defending United Rugby Championship holders Leinster.
He also touched on what it means to come up against former Springbok defence coach Jacques Nienaber.
The Sharks opened their URC campaign with a 41-24 victory over Ospreys but will face a different beast when Leinster visits Hollywoodbets Kings Park this weekend.
Despite the contrasting styles, there is one element of their game which is similar, and that’s the defensive patterns of both teams.
Mongalo believes it can only bode well for him as a defensive coach to face one of the best in Nienaber and said that it’s not a direct battle between the two coaches.
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“I think there’s probably no greater thing in sport than to test yourself against the best, and this is no, by no means, a Jacques [Nienaber] versus Joey [Mongalo] thing.
“I mean, I was a youngster at the Lions starting to coach in 2011, and Jacques was already then coaching the Stormers.
“So I’ve been admiring him, you know, the godfather of defence; I’d regard him as one of the godfathers of defence.
“You take him, you take John McFarland, and you take maybe Omar [Monueimme]; those were the first generation.
“Then after that was the JP Feirreras, the Joey Mongalos, etc.
“So it’s a privilege for me in that space to say, ‘Okay, let’s go be on the field with Jacques and test yourself against what he does’.
“But again, that’s not a Joey thing; It’s not a Joey Jacques thing. I think it’s more about two similar systems because to coach line speed defence is quite an art.
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Mongalo admitted that he still has a lot to learn and praised Nienaber for what he’s achieved in his position as defence coach.
“I’m still learning it, to be honest; Jacques has mastered it with Leinster and with the Boks.
“He’s won a World Cup, he’s been in a Champions Cup Final, he’s won the URC, so he’s probably the high end of that, you know, so it’s cool for the two systems, I think, as a rugby lover.
“The usual Irish way is to go up and out, where both teams going this weekend should be fire against fire, you know, line speed against line speed.
“So I think it should be quite a spectacle for people to watch; it’s different. It’s a skill set of its own that should be interesting to watch.”
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