Leinster flanker Josh van der Flier has hailed the impact of Jacques Nienaber at the Irish outfit, highlighting the former Springbok coach’s detail-oriented approach.
The two-time World Cup winner joined the club as senior coach last month, and has wasted little time sharing his expertise.
Renowned for his defensive work at the Boks, DHL Stormers and Munster, Nienaber has overseen three victories for Leinster including wins in the Champions Cup against defending champions La Rochelle and Sale Sharks.
Speaking in a wide-ranging interview with The Irish Times, Van der Flier touched on the influence of Nienaber at Leinster while praising the 51-year-old’s meticulous attention to detail.
“Jacques is brilliant. 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,” he said.
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“The amount of work he puts in is incredible. 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.
“It’s brilliant to have him in. Another part of it is that 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.
“As well as that, I’ve had a few chats, him showing me clips or talking things through and he’s 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.”
Van der Flier added: “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 [about] putting a lot of pressure on and a lot of emphasis on the way you tackle.
“Last week and this week were my first time hearing him chat before games and he’s really good at getting the emotional pitch right before games. He’s been brilliant.”
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