Jacques Nienaber says Leinster were trying new lineout approach against Clermont

Leinster coach Jacques Nienaber says the province's new approach to the lineout contributed to the mistakes that were made against Clermont last weekend.

In a lacklustre performance, Leinster grinded out a 15-7 win over the French side at the Aviva Stadium, with the lineout heavily criticised for its failings.

In what has been an issue for Leinster and Ireland in recent weeks, Nienaber says Leinster were attempting to speed up their play at the lineout, with new rules in 2025 set to impact the set-piece.

From January 1st, there will be a 30-second shot clock for scrum and lineout setting. Referees will also play on at a lineout if ball not thrown straight but only if lineout is uncontested.

As Leinster prepare for the changes, Nienaber said this led to mistakes at the weekend, as they prepare to face Connacht on Saturday.

"From the 1st of January, there will be some subtle law changes, where to limit the ball out of play time at lineouts will be one of them, and scrums will be under pressure to be done within 30 seconds.

"We tried something new and something different in our lineouts that we feel will benefit us going forward. With anytime you try new things out, there is going to be hiccups, and you can see there was a couple of hiccups.

"We wanted to try it out in a big game to see if things work, and obviously get answers. It is important we iron that out and work extremely hard on it."

With changes coming down the line, Nienabar says it was important Leinster adapted in a big game against a quality side such as Clermont.

"It wasn't necessarily something we have been trying in training sessions for a couple of weeks. When consequences mean nothing, it is always easy to execute it on the training pitch because there is