Jacques Nienaber has opened up about the adjustments he’s had to make in his communication style with Leinster’s players as he settles into his second season as senior coach at the Irish club.
After steering the Springboks to World Cup triumph in 2023, Nienaber joined Leinster and has since been refining his approach to ensure clearer, more concise exchanges with the team.
In last weekend’s Vodacom URC game against the Dragons, Nienaber joined head coach Leo Cullen and captain Caelan Doris in the coaches’ box to improve the flow of communication between the coaching staff and players. Notably, Nienaber didn’t assume his previous role as a water carrier to relay instructions—this time, scrumhalf Jamison Gibson-Park took on that responsibility.
The former Springbok coach admitted that he had been asked to simplify how he communicates.
“When we say we give a message, it will be a suggestion – ‘this is a suggestion, this is what we’re feeling’,” Nienaber told Irish media this week.
“Obviously, we [coaches] are not playing the game.
“We don’t see it the way they see it. So, this is a suggestion and then it’s up to them to take it or don’t take it.
“I would probably say, even from their point of view, obviously English is not my first language so sometimes my messages can be bulky.
“I don’t get to the point; I think my media is the same!”
Nienaber candidly acknowledged the language barrier he faces.
“English is not my first language so sometimes my messages can be bulky. I don’t get to the point; I think my media is the same!” he laughed.
“So, they’ve said to me, ‘Listen, you need to shorten it up. Think what you want to say, shorten your message, it’s too clunky’. It’s brilliant and that’s the transparency you want in a team. It should be transparent like that; I love it like that.”
Photo: @leinsterrugby/Twitter
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Src: sarugbymag.co.za
