Nienaber departure: Leinster patient in wait for Springbok coach's tenure end after RWC

At Ellis Park, Johannesburg

Leinster head coach Leo Cullen said outgoing Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber would be the perfect fit for the currently unbeaten Irish super club.

Speaking after his team's comeback United Rugby Championship 39-36 win against the Lions in Johannesburg on Saturday, Cullen said Nienaber is a person he's admired since his days at Munster and has the character required to operate seamlessly at the Dublin-based club.

SA Rugby released a statement saying that Nienaber will be leaving the Boks at the end of the World Cup in France early on Saturday afternoon.

READ | 'The decision is made': Nienaber to step down as Springbok coach after World Cup

Cullen said Nienaber's achievements with the Springboks, especially in a pressured time in the Covid-19 era, were difficult to look past.

"We've been aware of Jacques through his time with Munster and his time with the Springboks," Cullen said.

"He went on to win a World Cup, so we've always followed his and Felix Jones's progress. Jacques is someone I've always admired.

"He's a great coach and all the feedback I've heard about him has been outstanding and he's a great man as well.

"The great-man part is the one that I'm attracted to the most because we have great characters in our group and he's someone who has delivered at the highest level of the game.

"He's a fantastic appointment for us at the club because of the experience he has, and we have a huge amount of respect for what he's achieved with the Boks with the World Cup and the British & Irish Lions."

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Nienaber, a trained physiotherapist who morphed into one of the best defensive brains in World Rugby, replaces former England