Two-time Rugby World Cup-winning coach Jacques Nienaber has named his favourite type of tackle. He has also given his prediction for Leinster’s United Rugby Championship derby at Munster on Saturday.
The Leinster senior coach was the Springboks’ defence coach for their 2019 World Cup triumph in Japan, and he had graduated to head coach for the successful title defence four years later in France.
Opting not to stay working at Test level following that triumph, which involved knockout stage wins over France, England and New Zealand, Nienaber took up the offer of replacing Stuart Lancaster as senior coach at Leinster.
The South African is currently contracted in the role until June 2027, having agreed to an extension, but there is still an expectation that he could then rejoin the Springboks in their run-up to the World Cup later that year in Australia.
“It is safer as a player…”
South Africa have made noise in recent times with their thirst for dominant tackles under Rassie Erasmus. It’s a style that has been glimpsed in Leinster with the likes of James Lowe, in particular, riskily looking to wipe players out rather than depending more on the old school tackle around the ankles.
What is Nienaber’s preference for his Leinster players, given that coaching defence is his brief? “I am definitely much more old school around the ankles. That is definite. It is safer as a player,” he insisted.
“Yes, there is opportunities for offload, but I am thinking more with the physio hat on and from a medical point of view, thinking player safety.
“You want players to be safe as Leinster players, but you also want the younger players, who some of our players would be role models to, they must see a safe, well-executed, low tackle technique, and their moms and their parents must see it and encourage them to play rugby.
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“You want to stay clear of any head contact. It’s been a buzzword, but I am more from that side. Dominant tackles are important, but a good, low leg chop is a thing of beauty, and it’s safe if you can execute it well.
“Everything has got technique and tactical things, but I just think you give yourself a better opportunity when you are a little bit lower to be safer and more accurate.”
Nienaber is currently working his way through a tricky period of inconsistencies with Leinster. Having been the club that dominated Andy Farrell’s British and Irish Lions squad selection, Leo Cullen’s team have yet to properly gel this season.
They have returned to winning ways after losing three of their four opening URC matches, but their displays have left much to be desired when compared to the trademark type of Leinster performances.
Both Leicester and Ulster were in front of Leinster at the interval in their recent matches, and they were also clunky in their win over a second-string Harlequins in Dublin. Next on their schedule is a trip to Limerick to face a Munster side they were hammered 31-14 by at Croke Park in October.
Are they on the verge of clicking and producing a more complete performance after all their recent frustrations? “I don’t know,” said Nienaber. “That’s a difficult one because I’m not sure.
“You don’t want to talk with hope; I hope they click because I am not sure. It will be tough. To go down to Thomond Park play in the Christmas game there, it’s a tough place to go and get a result.
“If you think now, Munster this season, they are quite on form. They have only lost once in the URC, and that was against the Stormers who are currently unbeaten. Nobody has found the answer for the Stormers yet and even there, they were 21-6, so Munster would look back on that game and say yes, we let that one slip.
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“They are playing good rugby, so it will be a tough game for us at Thomond Park. It will be a grind. I can guarantee you it will be a grind. You saw it when we played at Croke Park. Clayton (McMillan, the Munster coach) mentioned in his post-match press conference that they just wanted to make it a dog fight, and they did. They made it a dog fight.
“I don’t expect anything less than that. It will be a tough game. I hope as a team, not hope – we are working hard to make sure that we are more accurate, and we are more disciplined.
“If you look at ourselves and we had a big discussion about that this week, we got marched twice 10 metres (by the referee against Ulster last Friday). That is not good enough; that’s on us and we have to fix that.
“So we are critical and not just plastering over things that aren’t going well, but also positive in the sense of looking at the opportunities we created. If we can fix the things that we can control, then we will build more momentum, but we are trying to build more momentum.”
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