Former Springbok World Cup-winning head coach Jacques Nienaber has enjoyed a largely successful start to his time as a senior coach at Irish club Leinster.
However, it has been noticeable that some overseas-based media, and Leinster supporters, have not all been particularly in favour of his blitz defence system that proved so successful at the Springboks.
Criticism has also mounted after Leinster’s shock Champions Cup elimination by Northampton, and there is now increasing pressure on the team to claim the URC title after dominating this competition throughout the group stages.
Although Nienaber is currently committed to Leinster, his contract is set to expire after the 2025-26 season, and one wonders whether he could then be tempted to head back to South Africa and perhaps rejoin the Springboks.
Jacques Nienaber fronts up after latest loss
Defeat to Northampton ended the four-time champions’ pursuit of their first European cup crown since 2018.
“As a group, we feel that we should have been better defensively,” Nienaber told reporters in the buildup to Saturday’s URC game against Zebre.
“We had the potential to be a lot better… that’s the disappointing part. What is our potential in defence? I think it’s a lot better than the one that we did deliver.
“When you lose, you have meetings to figure out why. When you win, you have parties. That’s the beauty of sport.
“There’s a lot of thought that goes into team selection. It’s not a 10-minute conversation,” Nienaber said. “Because we lost, people will say: ‘That’s bull****’. That’s how it works.”
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Src: TheSouthAfrican.com - https://rugga.co.za/springboks/should-former-springbok-coach-come-home/
