South Africa head coach Jacques Nienaber to join Leinster

Leinster have confirmed the appointment of Springbok head coach Jacques Nienaber to their coaching team, following the conclusion of the Rugby World Cup in France.

The World Cup winner will replace Stuart Lancaster as senior coach, with the Englishman joining Racing 92 in Paris this summer.

Nienaber previously served as assistant coach to Rassie Erasmus at Munster from 2016 to 2017, before following Erasmus back to South Africa, where they teamed up to bring the Springboks to World Cup glory in 2019.

The 50-year-old has served as head coach of South Africa since 2020, when Erasmus moved up into the role of director of rugby.

The appointment of a serving international head coach represents a major coup for the four-time European champions, while it also creates a fascinating dynamic over the coming months, with Ireland and South Africa in the same pool at the World Cup, facing off in Pool B on Saturday 23 September in Paris.

"We're hugely excited by the prospect of Jacques joining us," Cullen told RTÉ Sport's Michael Corcoran about the appointment.

"We’ve been back and forth over the last while so yeah, a good, exciting day for Leinster Rugby.

"[He’s] someone who brings unbelievable experience and the fact that he has experienced Ireland as well is a huge help. He has an idea what he is getting himself in for as well.

"You think of the experience Jacques has had with the Springboks, winning a World Cup four years ago, leading the team into that Lions series during that Covid period - it was a very, very difficult series for lots of different reasons as we know.

"The experience that he is going to bring to the group is going to be fantastic."

The province had been looking for a new coach since Stuart Lancaster's departure was