Springboks in no rush to replace Leinster-bound Jacques Nienaber
World Cup champions the Springboks are in no rush to replace their outgoing head coach, Jacques Nienaber, according to reports in South Africa.
The 51-year-old from Kimberley announced before the Rugby World Cup that he would be departing the Springboks for Irish province Leinster come the end of the tournament, replacing former England head coach Stuart Lancaster in the role in Dublin.
Nienaber, alongside his director of rugby Rassie Erasmus, led South Africa to a record fourth Rugby World Cup title on Saturday as the Springboks defeated New Zealand 12-11 at the Stade de France in Paris.
Reports suggest Erasmus, who has been a vocal voice in rugby across his time with the South African national team, will take the reins until the team decide on a successful for Nienaber.
“It hasn’t been an easy journey,” captain Siya Kolisi said of the coaching staff following Saturday’s win. “I can’t believe what we’ve achieved today.
“The coaching staff have been ridiculous. I have worked with Jacques since I was 17 years old. I couldn’t tackle.
“When he and Rassie used to come to training it was full contact, you had to show that you could do this.
“We grew up around him – me and Frans [Malherbe, prop], Steven Kitshoff [prop] and Pieter-Steph [du Toit, back-row]. We all played under Jacques.
“He cared about us as people, he took us further. He asks me, ‘are you going to let your daughter down, your son down?’ It became far deeper than just a rugby game.”
“Jacques, honestly, it’s been a huge honour for me and a huge privilege. I appreciate you. We love you as a team, not as a coach, but as a person.”
Erasmus was banned twice in two years over his rants about referees, including one in 2022 about Saturday’s World Cup final referee Wayne Barnes.
Nienaber took more of a backseat approach to social media and World Rugby and has earned himself a spot in a prestigious job at Leinster – though critics have been quick to point out the lack of challenge this role may offer him.
Leinster’s great rivals Munster also lay claim to helping to develop Erasmus with the director of rugby spending time at the Limerick province as coach.
International rugby dies down now until February when the Six Nations return, but Wales will take on the Barbarians this weekend in Wales.