Jacques Nienaber offers interesting theory as to why Springboks players are choosing Japan over Europe

Former South Africa head coach Jacques Nienaber believes that it makes more sense for Springboks players to be plying their trade in Japan.

Due to the financial power of the clubs abroad, the country has seen an exodus of their best talent overseas.

With South Africa also changing their eligibility criteria, it means that individuals are free to play anywhere and still be able to feature for the national team.

France and Japan competing

Japan and France have the biggest monetary draw. The Top 14 has previously led the way in that regard, but the Asian competition is proving a huge attraction nowadays, especially for South African internationals.

A number of Boks currently play in the Japan Rugby League One, preferring to move to the Far East rather than putting their bodies through the wringer in the Top 14.

Captain Siya Kolisi is among those to sign for a French side, having joined Racing 92, while the likes of Handre Pollard and Andre Esterhuizen are currently in the Premiership, but plenty have decided against playing in Europe.

Nienaber, who left as head coach following the Rugby World Cup triumph, revealed that having their players scattered across the world was one of the challenges he faced while in charge.

However, he thinks that by heading to Japan, it is more ‘aligned’ with the Springboks’ Test season.

“We find it difficult with our URC players as well where we play our club competition in the northern hemisphere, but the Test matches are still with the southern hemisphere,” he told The Good, The Bad and The Rugby podcast.

“What we can do is manage the players in South Africa and manage their load. We took them out of rugby in the Six Nations for a reconditioning block because otherwise they would have just played and played and played.

“That is the bad thing for those who play abroad, they don’t get managed; they just play and play and play.

“That’s why I think a lot of players are going to play in Japan because the Japanese season is a lot more aligned with the South African international season. There’s a lot more flexibility there.

“The challenges of France and the Premiership is managing the players’ loads.”

Advice to Faf

Another issue for Nienaber and his coaches was trying to get all the players on board with the South Africa game plan.

With differing styles in Japan, England, France and Ireland – the foreign places where members of the 2023 World Cup squad plied their trade – the Springboks could have lacked cohesion.

But the Boks management worked hard to rectify that problem, with Nienaber remembering a specific conversation he had with scrum-half Faf de Klerk.

“They’ve got different skill sets that get developed in different competitions but to then still keep them aligned with our DNA and the way we’re going to do it in South Africa, that’s the tough part,” he added.

“That’s why we had a lot of alignment camps. We would have online alignment camps regularly.

“I remember saying: ‘Faf, you’re playing in Japan, I know it’s a more ball in hand approach, but you must still continue to practice your box-kicks.’”

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