Jacques Nienaber reaffirms Leinster commitment amid Bok talk

The Leinster coach did not like how parts of a recent interview with South African broadcaster SuperSport were interpreted

Leinster senior coach Jacques Nienaber said he can't predict what will happen when his current deal with the provinces expires in 2027. Pic: ©INPHO/Andrew Conan

Jacques Nienaber has confirmed his commitment to Leinster for the remainder of his contract.

The province’s senior coach gave a wide-ranging interview to SuperSport prior to the Ireland-South Africa game in Dublin last month in which he spoke mostly about his first two years working with Leinster.

He also admitted that he missed working with the Springboks with whom he played such a huge role in winning the last two World Cups, while keeping the door open to a possible return to the Boks fold for the next World Cup.

Nienaber’s contract with Leinster and the IRFU, extended earlier this year, ends in June of 2027, just months before South Africa’s bid to win a third straight World Cup will get underway in Australia.

“My contract with Leinster runs until the end of the 2027 season,” Nienaber said on Monday. “That is June or July. That is when my contract finishes. That is common knowledge.

“I can’t tell you what will happen then. I literally can’t predict what will happen after that. When my contract finishes, I must actually get a job. Hopefully I will get a job after my contract expires with Leinster.” 

The 53-year-old explained how he is the “sole provider” for his family - his wife cannot obtain a work permit to work as a physio in Ireland while his two children are studying – and that he enjoys his work at Leinster.

He was not asked if he missed the Springboks by the interviewer Matt Pearce. It was information he offered at the end of an opening question about his life at Leinster, but Nienaber did not like how his answer was interpreted.

“People just take parts from the interview,” he said. “They just heard the part: ‘I still love the Springboks’. Some people will take parts of this interview and run with the narrative.

“Then I said that it's not to say that because I enjoy Leinster that I don't enjoy South Africa or I don't love the Springboks. I still love the Springboks and I enjoyed my time there.

“It doesn't sound like because I enjoy it here, I dislike what I did there. That was the whole thing, that was the comment. I get used to it now, people just taking the 'I really love the Springboks'

and they just go on to that.”