Ireland great defends Jacques Nienaber over criticism which ‘lacks context’ after South African’s bombshell comments
Leinster senior coach Jacques Nienaber and Ireland great Gordon D'Arcy.
Former Ireland and Leinster star Gordon D’Arcy insists that Jacques Nienaber “deserves a fairer hearing” after the South African defended his record and methods in a remarkable press conference.
The double Rugby World Cup-winning coach has come under fire after failing to deliver the Investec Champions Cup since his arrival in 2023.
They once again succumbed in the showpiece event recently, going down to a heavy 41-19 defeat to Bordeaux-Begles in Bilbao.
Nienaber and head coach Leo Cullen have bore the brunt of the criticism over the past couple of years, but it was ramped up following that Champions Cup final loss.
Cullen and Nienaber both hit out
Since then, both have decided to shoot from the hip, which has certainly caused a stir, and D’Arcy duly added his voice to the debate.
“Jacques Nienaber deserves a fairer hearing. He has become the lightning rod for the season’s frustrations, but the criticism lacks context. Leinster’s early URC titles were won before the South African sides arrived and raised the bar considerably. The competition Nienaber inherited is far tougher,” he wrote in his Irish Times column.
“When Stuart Lancaster left, the comfortable choice was a like-for-like replacement and more of a system that had been almost working. That word, almost, is the problem. The system had produced a run of agonising Champions Cup final defeats, dating back to the last win in 2018.”
Leinster decided to change direction when replacing Lancaster with Nienaber, who introduced one of the most aggressive – and successful – blitz defences after joining the Springboks.
He has used that blueprint since moving to Dublin, but that hasn’t translated into Champions Cup success over the three seasons he has been there.
However, D’Arcy still believes that he deserves plenty of credit for delivering a United Rugby Championship title – their first trophy since the South African franchises joined.
“Whatever reservations I have about whether this style suits the players at Nienaber’s disposal, it is only fair to acknowledge that his tenure has been relatively successful: a URC title against stronger opposition than the squad faced in those earlier years. For all the European heartache, that is not nothing,” he added.
Opinion: Jacques Nienaber should walk if he truly believes bombshell claim
Leinster squad ‘older’ and ‘more careworn’
D’Arcy instead reckons that Leinster’s problems are more fundamental with this golden generation of players not quite the force they once were.
“The squad is older, more careworn. The nature of their Champions Cup heartache has shifted. In the La Rochelle years, Leinster were a player or two short – an RG Snyman-style ball-playing second-row was the difference between winning and losing those finals,” he wrote.
“Against Bordeaux Bègles, it was not one or two players. They could not compete at that level. Leinster’s playing ceiling doesn’t go that high with the current crop of players.
“They cannot evolve the way they play between now and the end of this season, nor should they. They must back what they are doing, stick with the group and try to win a trophy.
“To win the biggest games, you need big players – and big players know when to venture off a script. They have a feel for the game. I am not sure Leinster have enough of those players right now. If they do, they are not breaking out of the pattern enough to prove it.
“That is a player responsibility as much as a coaching one. The coaches do not lose finals on the pitch. The players do, and they must own their share.”
