Nienaber signs three-year deal with WP Rugby

Regarded as the best defensive coach in rugby union, with the statistics at Vodacom Super Rugby and Absa Currie Cup level to back those claims up, Nienaber is a key member of the coaching staff in Cape Town.

“I believe in what Allister and the team are trying to achieve here,” said Nienaber. “We’re not the finished product, by any means, but we’re working hard here (to get there). I believe in Allister and the top-notch players we have at our disposal and I have no doubt we will get there.”

Nienaber has been in great demand in rugby circles in recent months, with the Bulls making him an offer to join their set-up in Pretoria, and he admitted: “It’s easy to get stale perhaps and it’s tough to keep the players listening and perfecting themselves at training after so many years in the same job.

“But the great thing for me is that two thirds of the team (from the Vodacom Super Rugby season) is still so young, many of whom are in fact still eligible for the Under-21 team. They can only get better as we work together more.”

DHL Stormers and Western Province head coach Allister Coetzee lauded Nienaber’s impact on his teams.

“Jacques’ results speak for themselves,” said Coetzee, “but his work here goes way beyond what we see out there on the field on game-day.

“He’s a key member of our coaching staff and I’m delighted that he’s pledged his future to WP Rugby.”

Thirty-nine-year-old Nienaber was born in Kimberley. He joined Western Province from the Free State Cheetahs in 2007.