‘I don’t want to go back’ – Ex-Springboks boss Jacques Nienaber
Jacques Nienaber reveals why he has no plans to return to international rugby anytime soon.
Leinster senior coach Jacques Nienaber has no plans to rejoin the Springboks coaching team ahead of the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
After coaching South Africa to the 2023 World Cup title, Nienaber stepped down from his position as head coach and linked up with Leo Cullen’s coaching team at the Irish province.
The man renowned as a defence guru signed a deal with Leinster until 2026 prompting many to theorise that he would return to South Africa and link up with his long-time friend Rassie Erasmus ahead of the Boks’ title defence.
Erasmus took over the head coach reins from his former assistant, stepping down from his director of rugby role, and hired former Ireland hooker Jerry Flannery to lead the team’s defence.
Nienaber won’t be rejoining the Springboks
However, many still believe that Nienaber will rejoin the Springboks set-up in time for the World Cup in Australia and the question was put directly to the Leinster coach on Monday.
“No,” he said. “I’m signed [with Leinster] until 2026.”
Nienaber admitted that there are aspects of international rugby that he does miss but explained the reasoning behind his decision to leave Test rugby in favour of the club game.
He believes that they are entirely different games and explained that he is relishing the ability to be more creative at Leinster which is stimulating him more.
“I think it’s two games. International rugby isn’t as creative as club rugby, because you don’t work as long with them,” he explained.
“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.
“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.”
Test rugby v club rugby
Nienaber adds that generally, the club game is about two years ahead of the international game in terms of innovation.
The ex-Bok coach used the example of the tactics around quick taps in the opposition’s 22, something that has become a real weapon for Leinster in recent years.
South Africa used it to their advantage in the Rugby World Cup with lock Eben Etzebeth scoring a crucial try from the play in the quarter-final clash with France.
“In 2023 against France, we scored the try that won us the game in the quarter-final from a quick-tap penalty,” he said.
“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.”
He added: “I do miss it [Test rugby] 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.”
