Jacques Nienaber tipped for Eddie Jones role with Springboks: ‘Rassie is a master at understanding that’
Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber with an inset of Eddie Jones
Jacques Nienaber will always have a place in the Springboks coaching team, according to one of South Africa’s leading rugby administrators.
The 2023 Rugby World Cup-winning head coach is currently helping Leinster prepare for the United Rugby Championship final against the Bulls at Croke Park on Friday evening. However, his future beyond that match is uncertain.
Jacques Nienaber ‘undervalued’ at Leinster
Nienaber is still contracted to the Irish giants for another season but raised doubts over whether he’d still be in his position ahead of the 2026/27 campaign, stating that he doesn’t feel ‘valued’ at the province.
He dropped the bombshell in a fiery press conference exchange with Irish writer Ruaidhri O’Connor, who wrote a column stating that Leinster had “made a deal with the devil”.
“It’s not for Leo [to value me]. People don’t value…. The moment you lose the team or the fan, you’ve got to go. The moment you lose the changing room or the club, the fan-base you’ve got to go,” he said during the exchange.
“You could just hang there and take your cheque, but no. They don’t want you there. I’ve been here three years, coached two finals and a semi-final of Europe. One semi-final loss, two final losses. URC; semi-final and a final. Won one.”
Leinster boss Leo Cullen came to the defence of the South African, stating that the province are ‘lucky’ to have him.
“We’re incredibly lucky to have him here. It’s what I believe. He’s a genius, in terms of what he does. The group love working with him as well. I know they do,” he said.
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However, that hasn’t eased doubts about Nienaber’s future at the club, and according to one of South Africa’s leading rugby administrators, Rassie Erasmus would make room for him in the Springboks coaching team if the opportunity arose.
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Always space for Nienaber in Rassie Erasmus’ Springboks coaching team
Attack coach Tony Brown will leave Erasmus’ backroom staff after the 2027 Rugby World Cup, which creates a void that could be plugged with Nienaber’s return and a shuffle of responsibilities, with Felix Jones and Mzwandile Stick having a bigger say on the attack and backs.
But the Boks might not wait that long to get Nienaber into the fold, with his current contract expiring before the start of the 2027 international season.
Even if he weren’t to leave Leinster at the end of the current campaign, the unnamed administrator believes that Erasmus could recruit his services in a technical advisor position akin to that Eddie Jones fulfilled during South Africa’s 2007 World Cup campaign. In fact, Erasmus himself fulfilled a similar role four years later under Pieter de Villiers.
“His work ethic, knowledge of the game, team-mate contribution and how he can get guys from all cultures up for a test is just magic,” the administrator, who has first-hand knowledge of the inner workings of coaching teams at Test level, told Afrikaans publication Rapport.
“You have to understand that he hasn’t been part of the group for a long time, and show respect for the other men who have now settled into their roles. You shouldn’t upset that balance. However, Rassie is a master at reading and understanding that stuff.
“They might do what Jake White did with Eddie Jones in 2007 and appoint him as a general technical advisor focusing mainly on defence and assisting Jerry Flannery. Defence wins World Cups. Period.”
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As things stand, there is little room for another assistant coach in Erasmus’ coaching team with Jones, Stick and Brown involved with the skills, backs and attack while Daan Human looks after the scrum, Deon Davids the forwards and lineout while Flannery is in charge of the defence.
Furthermore, Duan Vermuelen was initially hired as a mobi-unit coach to assist all of SA Rugby’s structures but has been heavily involved with the Springboks since his appointment.
