We lost, so people will call ‘bull****’

Jacques Nienaber fronted up to the media this week with more questions than clarity after Leinster’s Investec Champions Cup campaign collapsed against Northampton.

The former Springbok head coach, hailed for masterminding back-to-back World Cup titles, has transformed Leinster’s defensive gameplan since joining in 2023. 

But last week’s European cup semi-final loss in Dublin left Nienaber searching for answers. The Irish giants entered the clash having smashed Harlequins and Glasgow Warriors without conceding a point.

Defeat in the Irish capital for Leo Cullen’s men ended the four-time champions’ pursuit of their first European cup crown since 2018. 

“As a group, we feel that we should have been better defensively,” Nienaber told reporters in the buildup to Saturday’s Vodacom URC round 17 match for Leinster against Zebre at the Aviva Stadium.

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“We had the potential to be a lot better… that’s the disappointing part. What is our potential in defence? I think it’s a lot better than the one that we did deliver.

“When you lose, you have meetings to figure out why. When you win, you have parties. That’s the beauty of sport.”

Questions around team selection, particularly All Blacks star Jordie Barrett’s starting XV omission, were deflected but not dodged.

“There’s a lot of thought that goes into team selection. It’s not a 10-minute conversation,” Nienaber said. “Because we lost, people will say: ‘That’s bull****’. That’s how it works.”

He also defended Leinster’s indecision in the final moments against the Saints, saying stand-in skipper Jack Conan wasn’t seeking instructions when rejecting a kick at goal.

“In hindsight, should we have gone for the posts? Maybe. Because we lost, you tend to say maybe we should have.”

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