Ireland hoping knowledge of Jacques Nienaber defence can pay off against Springboks

“I guess there's an air of familiarity from playing in Leinster, and playing and training against the defence that South Africa do regularly," said Tommy O'Brien.

Tommy O'Brien poses for a portrait during a Ireland Rugby media conference at the IRFU High Performance Centre. Pic: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile.

Andy Farrell wasn’t having any truck with the theory put to him earlier this month that his Ireland team, through the ubiquity of their Leinster contingent, had imported the Jacques Nienaber defence into their game.

Nienaber’s imprint has been debated and dissected almost since his arrival in Dublin. That it has altered Leinster’s DNA is unquestionable, but there has been a persistent suspicion that it may have complicated things for those Leinster players on national duties.