Jacques Nienaber expects the DHL Stormers and Lions to be well prepared to tackle a formidable Leinster side under his stewardship in the Republic.

Nienaber joined the Irish club as senior coach in November, and is back in South Africa for the first time since helping the Springboks defend the Webb Ellis Cup at France 2023.

With five rounds of the regular Vodacom URC season remaining, Leinster are in first place on the overall log with 54 points. Leo Cullen’s charges face the 11th-placed Lions at Ellis Park on Saturday, before a Cape Town clash against the Stormers – currently in fifth – next week.

The Irish giants’ SA safari coincides with Nienaber’s reunion with teams he once coached, especially the Stormers, where he made his mark as a renowned defence coach.

In a wide-ranging interview with News24, the two-time World Cup winner acknowledges the potential familiarity with his strategies while sharing his experience and challenges since leaving the Boks.

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“The IP conversation cuts both ways,” Nienaber told News24. “I remember that, in 2018, I had to deputise as the Lions’ defence coach on their Super Rugby tour. They know how I coach and how I go about things.

“It’s the same with the Stormers as I have run plenty of sessions because when you’re at national team level, you don’t coach a lot.

“At Leinster this season, I’ve coached in more games in a calendar season than I’ve done in a calendar year with the Boks.

“I’ve done at least 15 games here this season and there’s more to come, while at the Boks, you get a maximum of 13.

“When I was with the national team, I was desperate just to go and coach – and, for example, the Stormers were always happy to have me over to run sessions. They definitely know how my head works.”

He highlights the differences between Test and club rugby, noting the latter’s advanced creativity and continuity.

“Club, or franchise rugby, is probably two years ahead of international rugby from a creative perspective,” Nienaber added.

“Clubs have their players for longer and they have more continuity. That makes it easy to add layers onto existing systems.

“The creativity also allows you to lose matches along the way in a tournament, but when you lose a Test, it’s recorded in history.”

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Photo: @leinsterrugby/Twitter

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