Former Springbok head coach turned Leinster senior coach Jacques Nienaber has addressed the rumours around his coaching future.
Signing with Leinster ahead of the 2023 Rugby World Cup, Nienaber caused quite a stir in the rugby universe. Immediately upon signing, rumours already began to emerge that Nienaber would return to South Africa ahead of the next World Cup in 2027.
When asked about a potential reunion with his long-term friend Rassie Erasmus, Nienaber was emphatic: “No,” he said. I’m signed until 2026.”
Nienaber was then asked whether he missed the high-octane world of test rugby, where every match is a big occasion.
“Yes, I think one misses that,” he said.
”I must choose my words now nicely. I think it’s two games. Let me start by saying that. International rugby isn’t as creative as club rugby because you don’t work as long with them.
“You only get them in a week before a Test match. That is normally when regulation nine opens. So, you work for one week with the players, and then you go into a test match.
“It’s the country that loses. The consequences of your actions are a lot bigger than at the club level. Where at club level, if you lose a game, it’s not written in history. If you lose a final, it’s written in history, but if you lose a match, it doesn’t matter what Test match; it’s written in history.
“People will go back, and they will be, ‘Ireland played against New Zealand on Friday, November 8’. Whoever wins or loses that Test match will be written in history.
“Where if we lose this weekend against the Lions or the Lions lose this weekend against us, it’s not going to be in history.
“So, you miss that. That all-or-nothing aspect of it.
“That’s the one side, but the side that I was keen on was the creativity side of things. Even if you look at, I use it often as an example, quick-tap penalties in the ’22.
“I think it was in club rugby probably two years before an international team were doing it.
“In 2023 against France, we scored the try that won us the game in the quarter-final from a quick-tap penalty. Which is something, if I ask you have you seen that ever with South Africa, ever in your life? No, because it is just not something that you would think of doing. Because there is too much risk.
“Why don’t you just kick out and go for the maul? I think that’s the two things.
“I do miss it in the one sense, but if you ask me, ‘Do you want to go back there now?’
“No, I don’t want to go back there,” he added.
Focusing on his current role with Leinster, Nienaber said he was enjoying his new challenge in Dublin and in particular spending more time with his players.
“I like the development that I’m currently, as a coach, experiencing and the stimulus that I’m getting currently at club level.
“That’s why I wanted to leave international [game] from a coach point of view. That’s why I wanted to leave international rugby. To just get exposure again at club level, because it’s different.
“Teams have a crack at you every week, where at international level you will play … When we left in 2018, we didn’t play against Ireland until 2022.
“So your defence never gets tested by an Irish attack, whereas here you get tested weekly, which is great.”
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