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In pictures: Jacques Nienaber in good spirits at first Leinster training
By Grant Constable
Double world Cup winning coach Jacques Nienaber has arrived at Leinster and was today spotted getting to work at training.
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Just short of a month after winning the Rugby World Cup in Paris with the Springboks, Nienaber is getting settled and has taken up his new role with the province.
After replacing Stuart Lancaster, who departed for a Director of Rugby role with Siya Kolisi’s new club Racing 92, Nienaber appeared at a Monday training session.
Head coach Leo Cullen has said that defence coach Sean O’Brien could benefit the most from having Nienaber’s experience and expertise on hand.
“Seanie’s been excellent. He’s stepping into the role,” said Cullen.
“He’s a brilliant character, so we’re very lucky to have him. He’s starting his journey as a defence coach and it’s been a great experience for him, in that role as contact skills.
“We’re all hoping to learn from Jacques when he comes in and Seanie will be someone who will grow a lot with his presence. It’s about refining what we do and getting better.”
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“He has turned up this morning, very unassuming really,” scrum coach Robin McBryde told RTÉ Sport.
“There was no big fanfare. He was left a slab of Guinness on his desk as a ‘welcome to Ireland’.
“It was pretty low key. Just a round of applause when he was introduced to the squad.
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“He has pretty much hit the ground running, he has obviously done his homework with regards to the language that we use here at Leinster.
“So he has been able to get into the rugby straight away, really around the training field. He wasn’t on the touchline very long, he was on the training field and hitting the ground running.”
Despite some of the hype of the world cup having worn down, his arrival has been met with great excitement and intrigue, with some wondering what took so long.
Why the rush… 😉
Not often you get to win a RWC – ok – not often you get to win a RWC twice, and Leo has said openly he was happy to let Jacques enjoy time at home with his family, friends and also to finish his commitments with SARU 👍
— Leinster Rugby (@leinsterrugby) November 27, 2023
Leinster appeared to be in good spirits following their 21-16 win over Munster on Saturday, but they did suffer a major injury setback.
Cullen revealed that Ross Byrne has been ruled out of selection for this weekend’s clash against Connacht following a shoulder injury.
Byrne suffered the injury when attempting to prevent Craig Casey from finishing off Munster’s fifth-minute opening try. The injury could see Byrne miss Leinster’s opening Champions Cup matches against La Rochelle and Sale Sharks.
It could also spell trouble for Ireland as the fly-half could be unavailable for the start of Six Nations as well.
Meanwhile, Cormac Foley (shoulder), Michael Milne (shoulder injury) and Cian Healy (shoulder) will all step up their rehabilitation programme this week as they continue to recovery.
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The writer here ignores the fact that, following on from not taking the penalty kick, the All Blacks did manage to score a try a few minutes later. Not directly from the penalty awarded, but it is speculation to say that had they opted to take the koi they would have won. Even if they kicked it, which was no guarantee, they would still be trailing and would have had to start again at half-way.
Go to commentsI would be surprised if Sales Opoku Fordjour and Northampton’s Tommy Freeman are not in the team, Anthony Watson is also one that could go on the wing. One thing I must say is that the front 3 will get destroyed against a team like South Africa.
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