Former Bok boss Jacques Nienaber in a win-win position amid contract negatitations

Nienaber's incredible success under Rassie Erasmus and then alongside him at the 2023 Rugby World Cup contributed to him landing a lucrative contract - until 2027 - at Leinster as a senior coach. Last season saw the Irish giants add another trophy to the cabinet with the United Rugby Championship, a month after losing the Champions Cup final to the indomitable Bordeaux.

Long-time Leinster head coach Leo Cullen is set to step down from his role at the send of the 2026/27 season and he will leave a considerable vacuum. Nienaber is primed to fill it, but nothing has been confirmed yet.

There has been major speculation that Nienaber will return to the Springboks' management team alongside good friend Erasmus ahead of the 2027 Rugby World Cup, which kicks off on 1 October.

Key in the situation is the six-month clause in Nienaber's contract. It allows either party to end the deal roughly halfway through the 2026/27 season, rather than being locked in until the full 2027 expiry.

In a recent interview with on the Roadshow Series with Off The Ball, Nienaber alluded to the clause, but siad the contract negotiations are still in due process.

"I can use that six-month thing," quipped the Bloemfontein native.

"It's an ongoing process, like everybody would say. We will have to wait and see how things work out, and when everybody is aligned, all the stakeholders are happy and aligned, then they'll probably announce whatever is going to happen going forward.

"When I came over here [to Dublin], it was [because] I wanted to spend more time with my family. With the Springboks, you are on average between 150 and 170 nights not in your bed [a year] because they don't have a home base, so they travel a lot.

"With Leinster, we are probably 50 days not in our own beds. You do a lot of travelling but you are home a lot, so that was nice."

Whether leading Leinster or the Boks, Nienaber is in prime position to earn plenty more silverware before his coaching career is done.