Jacques Nienaber’s arrival date in Leinster remains unspecified, at least publicly, but there is no doubt that players and management are eagerly looking forward to the day that he walks through the door in UCD.
Leo Cullen confirmed that he had been in contact with Nienaber during the World Cup, and as recently as Sunday, but that Leinster were content to ensure that the outgoing head coach of the newly crowned world champions, South Africa, got an opportunity to celebrate the success at home before travelling to Dublin.
Cullen spoke effusively about the South African not just as a coach but a person.
“I can’t wait, we’re really excited. There’s a lot of unknown and that’s a good thing. I’m optimistic in terms of the due diligence we would do on people that come in [to Leinster]. There’s so much positivity around Jacques as a person and as a coach as well.
“I think he just loves coaching and loves the people he works with, gets on with things. [He’s] very hard-working according to Felix [Jones, the Sandycove-born assistant Springboks coach who now moves to join Steve Borthwick’s England coaching set-up) as well I believe, which is exciting.
“It’s the love of coaching and love of helping players get better, ultimately that’s important for us as support staff, that’s almost the most important trait. It’s character over competence in many ways. Obviously, you must have competence and he clearly has both.”
Several Ireland players were back in training with Leinster on Monday ahead of Saturday’s URC match against Edinburgh at the RDS (3.05), including those like Ryan Baird and Jack Conan, who had limited game time during the World Cup.
Cullen confirmed that the remainder would filter back over the next week or so.
“There were a few guys training today. We will make some calls, but we are comfortable with the group that we have as well.”
Four Leinster players, Garry Ringrose, Dan Sheehan, Tadhg Furlong and Caelan Doris, along with Connacht’s Bundee Aki were named in the World Rugby ‘Dream Team’ as outstanding performers during the World Cup in France.
Cullen smiled when asked about the accolade and suggested tongue in cheek that “maybe they are basing it off the Ireland/South Africa game”.
He continued: “It is a great achievement, isn’t it? For the Irish guys, they’re so close to it. That’s the thing, it’s on the day. We’ve experienced that a little bit ourselves on the day. We just need to get it right, not just part of the day, but all of it.
“Again, coming back to it, that was [what we discussed with] Jacques and the initial part of that conversation. It’s a bit of that winning mindset. Hopefully that will be a big addition for us, for our guys.
“It’s a different voice for the group and again, it’s just for the evolution of our players that have come through the similar type systems to experience something completely different, a different way of looking at the same game. I think it will hopefully be positive.”
Cullen confirmed that the unfortunate Luke McGrath had sustained a knee ligament injury that will sideline the scrumhalf for up to eight weeks.
Cormac Foley, who started in the victory over the Sharks, had a superb game in the No 9 jersey. Ben Murphy, who came on as a replacement, and last year’s Ireland under-20 scrumhalf Fintan Gunne, will also see some game time.
Hooker John McKee, who picked up a hamstring injury in the opening weekend defeat to Glasgow, won’t be available this weekend.
Galway-born Dylan Donnellan previously enjoyed a brief career in professional rugby with Biarritz Olympique under Eddie O’Sullivan and Yorkshire Carnegie when recommended by Stuart Lancaster.
The 29-year-old, a former Leinster academy player, who has been a standout with Clontarf in the Energia Division 1 A for the past couple of seasons, made his Leinster debut against the Sharks at the weekend, having trained with the province in preseason.
He gets another week off the day job. Irish 20s captain and hooker Gus McCarthy has returned to training after injury, but Saturday’s game may come too soon.
Seapoint Dragons’ Andrew McCarthy, a brother of Leinster players Joe and Paddy, will link up with Leinster this week as a ‘Culture Captain’. Andrew, a young rugby player with Down syndrome, is part of Energia’s Rugby for All initiative which promotes participation in the sport for those with physical and learning difficulties.
