April 15, Cape Town (Reuters) – After this year’s Rugby World Cup in France, South Africa’s head coach Jacques Nienaber will resign to become the senior coach of Irish rugby club Leinster, replacing Stuart Lancaster.
Nienaber was the Springboks’ assistant coach during their World Cup victory in Japan in 2019. After the tournament, when Rassie Erasmus took back his post as director of rugby, Nienaber was promoted to the head coaching position.
The two have been friends for a long time and have collaborated at Munster, an Irish team, and in South Africa.
In a press release issued by South African Rugby on Saturday, Nienaber stated, “The last few years have been the highlight of my coaching career and it’s with a heavy heart that I’m finishing up my time with the Springboks and leaving the country for personal reasons.”
“I’ve made my decision and am fully behind it at this point. All I want to do is watch the Springboks win the Rugby World Cup again this year. I’m going to keep focusing all of my energy on making sure we do all in our power to do that.”
After the current season, Lancaster will depart for Racing 92, and Leinster head coach Leo Cullen is excited to collaborate with the South African.
“Jacques is a world class coach with a winning track record at the very highest level of the game, and we’re all looking forward to learning from him over the coming seasons,” Cullen stated on the website of his team.
“With the addition of the South African teams to the United Rugby Championship and the Champions Cup, Jacques’ in-depth knowledge and experience of working with the Springboks will be a great addition to the group.”
