Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Nienaber helped South Africa win back-to-back World Cups before joining Leinster as a senior coach
ByMatt GaultBBC Sport NI senior journalist- Published1 hour ago
Jacques Nienaber has cast doubt on his Leinster future after claiming he does not feel valued by the media and fans in Ireland.
The South African joined the Irish province as a senior coach at the end of 2023 after helping his country win back-to-back World Cups.
And while Nienaber - working alongside head coach Leo Cullen - helped Leinster reclaim the United Rugby Championship title last year using the blitz defence from his time with the Springboks, a fifth Champions Cup has continued to elude the club during his spell.
Speaking before Leinster's URC semi-final against the Stormers on Saturday (17:30 BST), the 53-year-old - who is under contract until the end of the 2026-27 season - was asked if he will still be in his position next season.
"Let me put it to you this way: who fires you? Do you know who fires you? The public, the media. They fire you. Not the CEO, not Shane [Nolan]," he said via RTE, external.
"He doesn't fire me, but you guys fire us. Fire all coaches, because the pressure builds up and builds up, and the fan then builds the pressure on them, and then they just ask this and say, 'listen lads, I think we must part ways'.
"Your question is, am I going to be here? I hope so. Currently, I'm not sure, to be honest, because people don't value me here. They don't."
Asked if Cullen values his contributions, Nienaber added: "It's not for Leo [to value me]. People don't value...the moment you lose the team or the fan, you've got to go. The moment you lose the changing room or the club, the fanbase, you've got to go.
"You could just hang there and take your cheque, but no. They don't want you there."
Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Nienaber and Leo Cullen have both had tense exchanges with the media in recent weeks
Nienaber was speaking to reporters for the first time since Leinster were blown away in the Champions Cup final on 23 May as Bordeaux-Begles scored five first-half tries to win 41-19 in Bilbao and defend their crown.
Following that loss - their fourth in the past five finals - Cullen said Leinster will undertake an in-depth operational review this summer.
Asked if he would be willing to abandon a blitz defence system, Nienaber said: "I will always serve the club.
"The moment you are not serving the club, your ego is done."
He added: "I mean, before I went to Munster I coached the drift defence at the Stormers and we were pretty good at it, have a look. We didn't concede too many tries in Super Rugby.
"It's not the case that I don't understand the other system, I understand it, but both systems…there's not one that's better than the other."
It is not the first terse exchange Nienaber has had with reporters this season. In December, he was moved to clarify comments he made about his time at Leinster in an interview with South African outlet SuperSport.
Cullen has also bristled during his dealings with the media in recent times. Last month, he said the media "love throwing the boot in" at the Irish province while last weekend he snapped back at online "trolls" following his side's comprehensive URC quarter-final win over the Lions.
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