The 'bad thing' Nienaber has accepted about latest Springboks loss

Author Photo
Vincent Koch, Springboks
Getty Images

You’d imagine that yet another Springboks defeat, the ninth in the 23-match reign of Jacques Nienaber, would be the cause for grave concern for the head coach ten months out from his country’s 2023 World Cup title defence, but there was no inkling of any emergency when the latest excuses were aired in Dublin on Saturday night.

If there is pressure, Nienaber certainly wasn’t showing it as he sifted through his reflections on the 19-16 defeat to Ireland, the Springboks’ primary World Cup pool opponents next September in France.

Instead, his perspective in the media auditorium in the bowels of the Irish stadium was essentially ‘nothing to see here, now please shuffle along quietly’.

History, after all, remains his trump card in this era of inconsistency, a sequence where his longest winning streak in charge remains three victories (it’s happened on two occasions) before another defeat laced with ample ifs, buts and maybes materialises, as was the case at Aviva Stadium.

In fairness, the history that Nienaber now repeatedly leans on is wholly impressive, the Springboks exorcising the ghosts of the early part of the Rassie Erasmus era to go and win the 2019 World Cup with Nienaber as the then-defence coach.

Author(s)
RugbyPass Photo

RugbyPass, partnering with The Sporting News to bring you the best rugby news, analysis and highlights.