Jacques Nienaber: ‘I wouldn’t go back to international rugby, I like the development and stimulus at club level’
While there is a side of him that misses the thrill of the international test arena, Jacques Nienaber insisted yesterday that he is more than content to be working in club rugby as Leinster’s senior coach.
When Ireland kick-started their most recent Autumn Nations Series campaign on November 5, 2022 at the Aviva Stadium, Nienaber was in the opposition corner as head coach of South Africa. Having helped them to secure the title in 2019 as an assistant coach, he went on to steer the Springboks towards a successful defence of their Rugby World Cup crown in France last year.
Yet – after previously enjoying a 16-month stint at arch rivals Munster – Nienaber had already agreed to become part of Leo Cullen’s backroom staff at Leinster upon the conclusion of the 2023 edition of the RWC. Currently contracted to the eastern province until 2026, the defence specialist outlined a couple of key differences between international and club rugby that have – to date – helped to make a switch to the latter worthwhile.
“I think it’s two games. 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. So you work one week with the players and then you go into a test match. Obviously the consequences like I mentioned, it’s the country that loses,” Nienaber remarked at a Leinster media briefing in UCD.
“The consequences to your actions are a lot bigger than at 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. 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.
“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. 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 from a coach point of view. To just get exposure again at club level, because it’s different.”
Although he isn’t currently operating in the test arena, Nienaber’s role with Leinster sees him working with international stars on a weekly basis. From the 35-strong squad that Ireland head coach Andy Farrell selected for their summer tour of South Africa earlier this year, 18 of them were current Leinster players.
Despite not seeing any game time across their two test battles with the Springboks, Sam Prendergast was part of the Irish set-up for their visit to the southern hemisphere in July.
In competition with the likes of Ross Byrne, his younger brother Harry and the versatile Ciaran Frawley at Leinster, there were some suggestions last season that Prendergast (who recently returned to South Africa as part of a tour with Emerging Ireland) might move to Connacht on a loan deal in order to get consistent game time in the number 10 jersey.
However, Prendergast ultimately remained with his home province and Nienaber believes his game will benefit in the long run as a result.
“I think it depends on what your ultimate goal is. If Sam’s is to represent Ireland and be the starting 10, he’s going to have to lift the players that’s in this environment anyway. You can go away and try and lift them there, or you can stay here and lift them here and lift them out of your way if that’s your goal,” Nienaber added.
“I always find it fascinating if players want to leave, but they know that their best opposition is the guys that are right here in the building. I would much rather stay here to see what they are doing and you can measure me daily against them, rather than don’t know what they are doing and what they are developing. If I was a player, I would stay as close to my closest competition as I could.”