Jacques Nienaber cleaned house on Monday at Leinster’s training ground in UCD.
The two-time World Cup winning Springbok coach felt his integrity had been questioned having explained on South Africa’s Supersport Channel two things can be true at the same time.
Nienaber said he misses the Springboks while also continuing to love his time coaching at Leinster.
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He also committed to remaining with the province until his contract ends in 2027.
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An animated Nienaber spoke about how a narrow take on what he said about life disrupting well-laid plans, as well as taking opportunities, inferred he may not stay true to his word.
Although it was pointed out that he and Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus committed to Munster, before subsequently departing, Nienaber was affronted by questions regarding his loyalty to both the Springboks and Leinster.
“Matthew Pearce has a show called what goes on tour stays on tour,” said Nienaber. “The whole thing was them catching up with South Africans abroad.
“So, the thing started. I really enjoy the club, I enjoy my family time. With the Boks, I was 154 days away like this year, even if we make finals with Leinster, I will be away from home maybe 50 nights.
“That is the reason I decided not to continue coaching at international level. We started chatting about that. I’m enjoying the club, I’m getting stimulated, the players are brilliant, they challenge you, I love the club, the people.
“Of course I miss South Africa. I coached the Boks to two World Cups. So just because I enjoy coaching Leinster players, it does not mean now I don’t enjoy the players of South Africa. I still love them.
“They died for me when I was coaching them, just as the Leinster players die for me when I am coaching them now. It’s not that I don’t enjoy South Africa, I love South Africa, but I am working at Leinster, and I am giving everything to Leinster.”
In a candid exchange, Nienaber explained there can only be so much certainty in coaching and that the vagaries life in the sport occasionally force people to take a different course of action, which he stressed is not disloyalty.
There are get-out clauses in his contract with the IRFU allowing both sides to exercise such an option before 2027.
Nienaber also recalled the impact Anthony Foley’s death in 2016 had on his outlook. The 42-year-old father of two, who was in staying in the room adjacent to Nienaber ahead of the province’s game against Racing 92, died in his sleep of an acute pulmonary edema.
“Myself and Rassie came over in 2016 to get passports,” said Nienaber. “That was our plan; five years, get Irish citizenship and our kids can study here. We were too young to take over the Boks. The platinum prize would be to take the Boks to the 2027 World Cup.
“Then we would be over 50. There hasn’t been a coach to win a World Cup under the age of 50. That was our reasoning.
“And then, on the 16th of October in 2016, Axel Foley passed away, and that hit me like a ton of bricks in the face. You can plan your life ahead, but then life happens. And my words were, ‘you only have now’.
“When the opportunity came to go back to South Africa, we said okay. This is my pathway and this is how I am mapping out my life. I can’t tell you what the future will hold because I’ve learned that. I’ve mapped one out, and it just doesn’t work like that in life.”
Nienaber also recalled how, when he first arrived in Ireland there were suspicions that he and Erasmus were on a mission to learn all they could about Ireland to inform the Springboks for the following World Cup.
It was, he said, a take that dovetails with his current view that people have questioned his probity on commitment.
“People think this is the master plan – Rassie and Jacques, let’s go and win the World Cup,” said Nienaber. “We’ll send you to Leinster, you get all the information, you come back. I mean, it’s crazy.
“I’m not saying I’m a saint in any way, but I feel people don’t trust my integrity.”
Nienaber was asked straight out if he would be with Leinster until the last year of his contract in 2027.
“If they don’t fire me, yes. Yeah,” he said.
