Jacques Nienaber has hit back at accusations that Leinster flouted World Rugby’s rules banning coaches from waterboy duties.
The former Springbok coach showcased his tactical savvy by acting as a waterboy for Leinster in the Champions Cup final against Toulouse last week.
Fresh off winning consecutive Rugby World Cups with South Africa, Nienaber joined the Irish giants this season under Leo Cullen.
World Rugby’s 2022 edict banned directors of rugby and head coaches from serving as water carriers. However, Nienaber exploited a loophole on Saturday under his title of senior coach.
During a second-half stoppage, he engaged in an intense discussion with EPCR officials but was permitted to continue, and was even spotted giving a team talk to Leinster players.
“I don’t come from a coaching background. I didn’t have the physical attributes to become a top-end rugby player, but God gave me brains, so I wanted to be involved in rugby,” Nienaber has been quoted in the media following Leinster’s defeat by Toulouse in London on Saturday.
“I went and studied my a**e off to become a physio and then through that I transitioned into strength and conditioning and then into becoming a defence coach, and it almost feels to me now Leinster and Jacques are trying to bail out the system. I’m not!
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“I don’t understand why people think I’m trying, or we’re trying to, play the rules. There’s nothing sinister in it.
“It’s just my route to becoming a coach was different from other coaches and I don’t understand why I should be penalised by that and why people think there’s something sinister, there’s nothing sinister.”
Toulouse inflicted more cup final heartbreak on Leinster as they were crowned kings of European club rugby for a record-extending sixth time following a thrilling 31-22 extra-time win.
“You try and look at it as unemotional as possible, and there’s a lot of things, but I think there’s probably three things that stand out,” Nienaber said.
“The first one is did you win the game? No. That’s the biggest thing and the most important one. Then the second one I would say was our discipline, but not necessarily discipline, as in giving penalties away, but discipline in terms of keeping continuity with ball in hand. We gave too many turnovers away.
“And then the third is continuity, our breakdown, and credit should probably go to Toulouse and how they slowed our ball down, so we struggled to generate consistent quick ball, especially when we got into their 22. Those are the three glaring issues I would say.”
Photo: @leinsterrugby/Twitter
