Jacques Nienaber has ‘had enough’ as John Dobson weighs in on ex-Springboks boss’ fiery exchange
Stormers boss John Dobson and an inset of Leinster coach Jacques Nienaber.
John Dobson says that Jacques Nienaber has been pushed too far, which led to his fiery press conference exchange.
The former Springboks head coach clashed with an Irish journalist earlier in the week following Leinster’s Investec Champions Cup Final defeat to Bordeaux-Begles. It was a very out-of-character exchange, according to Dobson, who worked closely with Nienaber during their shared time at the Stormers.
Jacques Nienaber avoids the limelight
During the press conference, the Leinster coach said that the media will play a big role in getting him sacked and said that he is not ‘valued’ at the Irish club.
This came off the back of Leo Cullen’s tense post-match presser after the URC quarter-final victory over the Lions. The head coach also lashed out at the media and claimed that there hasn’t been a backlash to their European disappointment.
Appearing on Off The Ball ahead of the Stormers‘ semi-final clash with Leinster in Dublin, director of rugby Dobson was asked about Nienaber and how he reacted to the line of questioning.
“I worked with him closely, he was at the Stormers for a long time,” Dobson began before singing Nienaber’s praises.
“He’s such a good coach: the work ethic, the detail, the way he conveys it, no ego.
“You don’t see him trying to take any media limelight; he’s not come with celebrity. He just wants to win and I think he’s one of the best coaches I’ve ever come across.”
Best coaches around
The Stormers boss believes that Leinster are blessed with coaches, as he also spoke highly of Cullen.
“With Leo Cullen, you’ve got a guy who loves the club, played for the club, lives and dies for the club and is probably a good rugby man – I’ve had a couple of beers with him in Cape Town. He goes and speaks to some old rugby club, he didn’t have to do that on his off night.
“I’m not saying that makes him a good coach, but I think you appreciate what you’ve got here. If it doesn’t work because of the noise and that ends Jacques, that’s sad because I promise you, you walk in there on a Monday morning meeting, he’s got two weeks opposition, he’s got the playlist, this is what they’re going to do.
“As I said, he’s devoid of ego and one of the best coaches around, full stop.”
Constant noise
During Nienaber’s press conference, the coach also referenced a column by Irish Independent journalist Ruaidhri O’Connor who wrote that the Irish giants had ‘made a deal with the devil’ when they gave the South African a contract extension.
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That article was published in June 2025, but it clearly irked Nienaber enough that he brought it up a year later. While Dobson was shocked by his fellow countryman’s remarks, he believes that he has been pushed to the edge and was eventually going to bite back.
“Yeah, because he’s a very benign guy in the public,” Dobson replied when he was asked if he was surprised.
“Maybe a button was pushed. I just read the quotes; I don’t know the context of how he said them, but I was slightly surprised.
“Maybe he just had enough of it. The noise around Jacques isn’t brand new is it? It’s been going since he was appointed.”
