Victor Matfield weighs into Jacques Nienaber ‘talk’ as Springboks legend offers ‘physicality’ theory for Leinster’s defensive struggles
Leinster senior coach Jacques Nienaber and Springboks legend Victor Matfield.
Victor Matfield has suggested that only the Springboks can operate Jacques Nienaber’s defensive system after Leinster’s collapse in the Investec Champions Cup final.
The two-time Rugby World Cup-winning coach has once again come in for criticism after they went down 41-19 to Bordeaux-Begles in Bilbao.
It comes just over a year after Nienaber’s rearguard was pulled apart by Northampton Saints in the 2024/25 Champions Cup last-four contest.
Despite the South African’s pedigree, there have been a few lapses from this Leinster team which has cost them in big games, but Matfield believes that it could simply be due to a lack of power at the Irish giants.
Why the defensive system works for the Springboks
“There was a lot of talk. Whenever Leinster falls behind, it was because of Jacques. We were talking about it on Saturday and why that defensive system – outside in, shutting down, no more than two passes – only working for South Africa with Leinster not really getting there,” he said on the Rivals podcast.
“We really believe it’s just that physicality. With the Springbok team, every time they make a tackle, they kill the ball right there. It’s slow ball, they can get into space again.
“Unfortunately with Leinster, although they’re there with the first few phases, they don’t slow the ball down. It’s quick ball, one cleanout rucks and Bordeaux had players on their feet.
“If you want to defend like that, you need the physicality as well.”
All Blacks legend Sir John Kirwan had a different view, however. When operating a high risk, high reward defensive system, it requires complete buy-in, but the 61-year-old has claimed Nienaber didn’t have it from his players.
He felt Bordeaux’s second try was evidence of that. Rieko Ioane received criticism for his role in the score, but Kirwan insisted that he was not at fault.
‘It’s actually really, really dangerous’
“I also think everyone needs to be committed to it. When the South Africans and when the French do it under Shaun Edwards, they are all really, really aligned from a speed point of view,” he said.
“What I noticed the other day was Rieko came forward but not everyone was with him. They’ve got to be able to pass over you and that’s what South Africa and the French try to do when they close the gate.
“These guys weren’t fully committed to it, so it’s actually really, really dangerous. I don’t know what they were doing defensively, there were a couple of soft tries.
“You’ve got to understand your football team and understand whether that’s the defensive pattern for it.
“When Warren Gatland came down to New Zealand and tried to do that with Waikato, it just didn’t work. We’re just not great at that.”
