IT TOOK JACQUES Nienaber just a matter of minutes to strike the right impression with his new Leinster players.
After a busy couple of weeks which involved steering South Africa to another World Cup success – and the subsequent celebrations – Nienaber arrived at Leinster’s UCD base on Monday 27 November to begin his new role the province’s headline assistant coach.
The players were excited to get to work with a proven winner, but when Nienaber turned up for his first day of training already knowing Leinster’s calls, they quickly realised there was something different about the South African. Ryan Baird described it as a sign of the respect Nienaber had for his new team. Just like that, the players were on board.
Many, like Baird, feel Nienaber’s defensive system will suit their athletic ability. In his first briefing with the Irish media Nienaber himself described how the athletic profile and skillset of the Leinster squad is different to that of the South Africa squad. It won’t be a case of “copy-and-paste” when it comes to implementing his defensive system with Leinster but some of the traits which made the Springboks such a formidable outfit are coming to the fore.
It will take time for Nienaber’s ideas to fully imbed but already, he is clearly impacting the way Leinster play.
Nienaber is only three weeks in the job but against La Rochelle Leinster had a notable physical edge to them and against Sale there appeared to be a real focus on their linespeed. Those two wins saw Leinster extend their winning run to eight games, even though last year’s beaten Champions Cup finalists have yet to fully hit their stride.
Other areas have had Nienaber’s fingerprints on them, too, such as the surprise selection of Will Connors over Josh van der Flier for the trip to La Rochelle. Connors is known for his quality low tackling and had a big game against La Rochelle’s bruising ball-carriers.
It no doubt helps that he quickly got the squad on board. Players tend to find Nienaber easy to work with as while his defensive system contains plenty of detail, he likes to convey his ideas through simple, clear messaging.
This is one of the reasons Nienaber is able to quickly build good relationships with players.
It also helps that he has knowledge of the Irish way of doing things from his time with Munster. Upon on his arrival at Leinster, he acknowledged he would not be able to communicate with the players in the same way he did at South Africa.
“The way you get a message across in South Africa versus the way you get a message across in Ireland is completely different, because the people are different,” he explained.
“Their personalities are different, their culture is different, so that’s another challenge you have to get past, which helps you grow as a coach.”
So far, he appears to be finding the right tone. Leinster flanker Josh van der Flier – who responded to being dropped to the bench for the La Rochelle game by delivering a player of the match performance against Sale – has been taken aback by Nienaber’s ability to motivate the side.
“He’s brilliant,” says Van der Flier.
One thing about him, it’s hard to describe it really, I find he really inspires you. I’d be going into a game wanting to defend for him. He’s a really inspirational person in that way.
“Last week and this week was my first time hearing him chat before games, and he’s really good at getting the emotional pitch right before games.”
It’s striking that in the space of just a few short weeks, Nienaber has managed to hit the right emotional tone with his new players.
Those pre-game messages are delivered on the back of highly detailed preparation during the week. Nienaber has been keen to stress his surprise decision to swap South Africa for Leinster is ‘not a holiday’ and Leo Cullen’s squad are already getting a taste of his famed level of detail and insight around the game.
“The amount of work he puts in is incredible,” Van der Flier continues.
“I’ve had a few glimpses at his laptop when he’s been showing me things and he puts a huge amount of work into defence and goes into the tiniest details.
“I’ve had a few chats with him, him showing me clips or talking things through and he’s definitely been good for me in terms of things I can grow in my game. I think it’s been the same for lads all across the board.
“It’s brilliant to have him in and I think another part of it is he obviously brings all the experience from two World Cup-winning teams and he’s got a lot of wisdom in that way as well.
“(We’re) definitely putting more pressure on the opposition. You see from the way South Africa defended in the World Cup, I don’t know if we’re defending exactly the way he had them defending but it’s definitely (about) putting a lot of pressure on and a lot of emphasis on the way you tackle.”
Next up for Munster is a St Stephen’s Day trip to Thomond Park. Munster knew what they were losing when Nienaber and Rassie Erasmus packed their bags and left for South Africa in 2017. Six years on, Nienaber is one of the most highly-rated coaches in the world. It’s early days for him yet at his new club, but all the noises coming out of the province suggest it could be an exciting few months ahead for Leinster.
