Nienaber: 'It is not nice to chop and change teams'

“Remember, our contracts are based on 40% win bonuses. So it's tough to tell an assistant coach we need to build squad depth but we might lose this Test match, which is 40 percent of your salary.” 

ROTATION IS KEY: Rotation has been fundamental to everything Jacques Nienaber and Rassie Erasmus have tried to do. Pic: ©INPHO/SteveHaagSports/Steve Haag

Nobody can say Jacques Nienaber hasn’t put his money where his mouth is. The Springbok head coach was sitting down with a bunch of South African writers prior to the squad’s visit to the UK for World Cup warm-up matches against Wales and New Zealand when he explained just how true that is.

Nienaber and Rassie Erasmus, the Director of Rugby who has moved upstairs but continues to stay busy around the house, have been promoting the need to develop a bigger and better squad since the Lions tour in 2021. Rotation has been fundamental to everything they have tried to do.