Well well well. Not one any of us would've guessed or expected.
A current test coach and RWC winner. Not a bad replacement for Lancaster in terms of profile.
Questions will be asked about his style of rugby and how it fits with ours. No reference to what role he'll play, but you'd imagine it'll be defence and forward oriented with Goodman taking control of attack & backs?
Well well well. Not one any of us would've guessed or expected.
A current test coach and RWC winner. Not a bad replacement for Lancaster in terms of profile.
Questions will be asked about his style of rugby and how it fits with ours. No reference to what role he'll play, but you'd imagine it'll be defence and forward oriented with Goodman taking control of attack & backs?
Is McBryde still contracted? He is currently forwards and scrum coach with Lancaster being defence and senior coach.
I will say that Nienaber is an awesome defence coach if you forget the rest of his Rugby.
Won’t lie I’m very nervous about this appointment, but have been proved wrong before. Agree wasn’t even entertaining a bok replacement as it doesn’t fit with what our current gameplay. Still time will tell
Leinster have made big calls like this in the past and got them right, generally with coaches on the way up not those already at the top. Fingers are crossed as I would have thought his SA approach would be at odds with ours.
suisse wrote: ↑April 15th, 2023, 1:20 pm
If you had guessed the 30 most likely candidates 24 hours ago, would his name have come up?
Nope. I'm a bit stunned. But if someone no one had heard about came up I'd have faith.
Leo clearly isn't hiring him to go the JvG route and he's known to be a technically excellent coach with loads of great experience. Part of my surprise was just how high we were able to reach.
To be going outside the circle of people who's been part of Leinster Rugby at this stage shows that we trust Nienaber. And he'll know that if hes making the move he is. That's good enough for me.
He’ll fit right in as a defense coach. The rest, maybe not so much.
Ruddock's tackle stats consistently too low for me to be taken seriously as a Six Nations blindside..... Ruddock's defensive stats don't stack up. - All Blacks Nil, Jan 15th, 2014
England A 8 - 14 Ireland A, 25th Jan 2014 Ruddock(c) 19/2 Tackles
Didn’t see this coming.
I’m not sure his specific role has been clarified. Leo mentioned in the interview that he’s a defensive guru.
Might the set up be Leo head coach, Jacques senior coach (with specific responsibility for defence), Saul attack coach, McBryde forwards coach, SOB contact coach (notwithstanding his interview earlier in the week where he alluded to assuming greater responsibility for defence).
One thing’s for sure, Dick Wigglesworth will not be happy!
Fascinating appointment. It also demonstrates the status of the Leinster post. It remains to be seen how exactly roles will be undertaken by the entire group but I've total confidence that Leo and the Professional Game Board will have assessed each aspect in detail before confirming this appointment. It certainly provides Leinster with a big extension of their experience.
Given that our major opponents in our League are SA clubs and they have also shown their potential in European competition this season, it is a very shrewd selection. With his Munster experience, there'll probably be a limited bedding-in period.
Interesting that Leo references Nienaber's previous experience of the Irish system as a plus. Clearly it has been an issue for some coaches coming in.
He also mentioned that his experience of SA sides will benefit us, which is another interesting tidbit. Clearly LR top brass see SA sides as a big challenger in years to come.
This move also cements some recent positive interactions between SA and Ireland (Emerging tour, URC etc).
It's an incredible coup from Leo & Nolan to get a RWC winning test coach to come in as a 'senior coach' and a brilliant statement of intent.
I'd share others reservations about SA's style of rugby, but I'm also highly confident in the ability of our top brass to pick the right man and Leo knows Leinster and what's needed better than anyone.
I'd say we could see a breakdown next season of:
Leo - Head Coach/Defacto DOR with remit for selection, overall gameplan and direction of the senior team.
Nienaber - Senior coach with remit for defence and set piece
Goodman - Senior coach with remit for attack and set plays
McBryde - Forwards and scrum
SOB - Defence & contact
We've always said that Leinster benefits from diversity of thought and this is certainly an appointment that's diverse.
It also adds another winner to the coaching ticket, which is clearly an important thing. We've Super Rugby, HEC, 6 Nations and now RWC winning experience on our coaching ticket. Not bad.
Blue Man wrote: ↑April 15th, 2023, 1:55 pm
Didn’t see this coming.
I’m not sure his specific role has been clarified. Leo mentioned in the interview that he’s a defensive guru.
Might the set up be Leo head coach, Jacques senior coach (with specific responsibility for defence), Saul attack coach, McBryde forwards coach, SOB contact coach (notwithstanding his interview earlier in the week where he alluded to assuming greater responsibility for defence).
One thing’s for sure, Dick Wigglesworth will not be happy!
I agree that this is the most likely set up.
It's also a more or less direct swap as Lancaster was essentially the Leinster defense coach while also being senior coach and weighing in on everything.
