Jacques Nienaber’s Springboks return hits a snag as Leinster nip speculation in the bud
Double Rugby World Cup-winning coach Jacques Nienaber has decided his immediate future, agreeing to a contract extension that will keep him at Leinster until the end of the 2026/27 season.
Recent speculation linked him to a return to the Springboks fold with Rassie Erasmus plotting to try and win an unprecedented third World Cup in a row. He was also said to be on the shortlist to replace Jack White at the Bulls, a job that went to Johan Ackermann.
However, the latest development in Ireland will see Nienaber continue to work as a senior coach under Leo Cullen, the Leinster director of rugby, until the end of June 2027.
That extended expiry date could still facilitate a return to the Springboks for Nienaber ahead of the world tournament that is scheduled to start in Australia in October of that year. But working in Ireland until only a few months would drastically shorten the time available for the coach to slot back in under Erasmus – if the option to join still existed for Nienaber.
It was Erasmus who originally brought Nienaber into the Springboks fold in late 2017 after the pair had worked together in Ireland at Munster. Nienaber was the defence coach for the 2019 World Cup win before stepping up to assume a head coach role for the Springboks’ successful defence in 2023.
“Tons of relevant experience and a different perspective…”
Within a month of beating New Zealand in the final in Paris, Nienaber began work at Leinster, where he is now preparing for his third season, a campaign that begins with September 26 match away to the Stormers in Cape Town.
Nienaber’s contract extension was made public at the same time Leinster announced fresh deals for assistant coach Robin McBryde and Tyler Bleyendaal, who will also now be on board until the end of the 2026/27 season.
Speaking at an opening training session at Wicklow RFC, Cullen said: “We can all appreciate the work that Robin, Jacques and Tyler have done but also the mark that they have left and are leaving on Leinster in their time here.
“They have all brought tons of relevant experience and a different perspective to how we do things and that is hugely important for the development of our group, that we hear other voices and other ways of operating.
“It’s not just around the senior team as well, you see it with our academy players and the work that they do visiting the clubs and the schools and giving freely of their time. I’m delighted to have them all on board again.”
Leinster also announced the creation of a new provincial kicking coach position to better align the work at their UCD HQ with the player pathway through the clubs and schools. Emmet Farrell, the ex-Leinster out-half and current first-team lead performance analyst, has been appointed to that new role.
Farrell will continue in his current role as kicking coach with the Leinster first-team, with Brian Colclough taking over Farrell’s former position as lead performance analyst for the club.
Cullen added: “I’m delighted for Emmet, someone who has been a key part of the success of this club on and off the field for more than 20 years, that he gets an opportunity to continue to grow as a coach and that others will benefit, not just ourselves based here in UCD.
“That consistency and alignment is crucial for us between what we are doing here in UCD and the brilliant work underway in our pathways and at the Ken Wall Centre of Excellence in Energia Park.
“That new role for Emmet offers an opportunity for Brian to move up and also for Juliette Fortune to move up to a more senior role in the analysis team, and I am delighted for them both. They both started with us an interns and it’s brilliant to see them continue their professional journey with us at Leinster.”
