Bath head coach Johann van Graan has hailed the “heart and soul” coaching qualities of Leinster defence guru Jacques Nienaber as the two South African coaches prepare to go head-to-head in the Investec Champions Cup this week.
In Dublin on Saturday, Van Graan’s English Premiership log leaders will come up against Jacques Nienaber’s Leinster, four-time European champions, in a Champions Cup Pool 2 blockbuster.
The two South Africans go way back, having first come up against each other when Van Graan was a technical adviser for the Bulls and Nienaber was at the Cheetahs, first as a physio and then Rassie Erasmus’ defence coach.
“We both ran the touchline on the far side of the pitch and I fondly recall those days,” Van Graan told the Irish Independent. “Three Currie Cup finals in a row [2004, 2005 and 2006]. And then he went in with Rassie at the Stormers.
“We worked at the Boks for a few years and we had a tough series against Ireland in 2016. Ireland won at Newlands, we won at Ellis Park and it went down to the final pass in Port Elizabeth.
“Jacques went to Ireland and then I did [to replace Nienaber as Munster head coach].
“He is definitely one of the best coaches I have come across in terms of passion for the game, always wanting to learn more. He is always heart and soul. And you can see that in the Leinster defence.
“He has definitely got to the heart of that team. And look, to cut a very long story short, I can’t speak highly enough of Jacques. He is a class coach.”
READ: How Van Graan rebuilt ‘broken’ Bath
Bath have scored 54 tries in 10 Premiership matches this season, and 11 in three Champions Cup outings, but will need to crack one of the best defences in world rugby on Saturday.
“We average nearly 40 points and five tries a game, we have come up against blitz defence in the Premiership. We can play in many different ways and we need to get selection right,” said Van Graan, whose Munster team only managed to beat Leicester twice in 13 matches over a five-year period.
“The difference for me is Munster versus Leinster, you’ve got the emotional bit, it’s an Irish derby, whereas this is an English team versus an Irish team,” Van Graan said.
“There will be emotion but the teams don’t play against each other a lot. We had a taste against them last season in a warm-up game.
“I’d say the biggest difference is definitely their line speed – that has obviously changed a lot. Obviously, whoever they pick, they can pick so many guys, but Sam Prendergast at 10 is very different to Johnny Sexton in terms of the way he plays. Two very quality players in their own right.”
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Photo: Michael Steele/Getty Images
