Bok coach Nienaber keeps a cool head ahead of Wallabies clash
His win percentage stands at 57, which places him close to Springbok rugby’s underachieving coaches
30 August 2022 - 17:46
by LIAM DEL CARME
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Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber. Picture: EPA/Kim Ludbrook/Backpagepix
The heat has been cranked up a notch or two on Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber, and for once the scourge of global warming is not in the dock.
Nienaber finds himself nudging closer to the furnace after a defeat to the Wallabies that sees his record as head coach stand at 11 wins from 19 matches.
His win percentage stands at 57, which places him uncomfortably close to Springbok rugby’s underachieving coaches since readmission.
By the time he vacated the position Allister Coetzee’s win percentage stood at 44; Harry Viljoen's was 53 when he suddenly quit; while Rudolf Straeuli, who coached during a tumultuous time for the Bok brand, won 52% of the time.
The often-maligned Peter de Villiers had a win return of 62%, while Heyneke Meyer and Jake White both have a win ratio of 66. Nick Mallett had a 71% success rate while Kitch Christie boasts a blemish-free record in his 14 Tests in charge.
Nienaber does not appear to be suffering from insomnia. For a man who obsesses about detail, he prefers not to dwell on the number that will ultimately determine the length of his tenure.
“Personally, and what the team feels, is the pressure we put on ourselves,” Nienaber said from Sydney on Tuesday.
“That’s obviously because of the losses. We all feel pressure because you want to produce for your country.
“The pressure is trying to get solutions for the next game. It’s not pressure from the outside. It is internal pressure. No coach can control outside pressure and that comes with the territory.
“We live and die by that pressure. If you start focusing on that you are focusing on the wrong things. The pressure we feel is the things we want to get right.
“The external pressure will always be there. And that’s on all coaches. If you lose two games there will be external pressure on you.”
The Rugby Championship was blown wide open when the All Blacks lost at home for the first time to Argentina last weekend. They joined the Springboks on two defeats, while the Wallabies and Argentina have lost one each so far in this season’s competition.
Nienaber concedes there is now no room for error.
“It is a must-win for all the teams,” he said when asked about the significance of the result of this Saturday's game.
“It is very tight in the Rugby Championship. Everyone’s close to each other [on the log]. Whichever team wants to win the tournament needs to probably win the last three matches. We are in the same boat.”
If that is so, Dave Rennie’s Wallabies and Michael Cheika’s Los Pumas are basking on the sun deck. The heat the Boks and the All Blacks are facing is of a very different nature down in the boiler room.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Bok coach Nienaber keeps a cool head ahead of Wallabies clash
His win percentage stands at 57, which places him close to Springbok rugby’s underachieving coaches
The heat has been cranked up a notch or two on Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber, and for once the scourge of global warming is not in the dock.
Nienaber finds himself nudging closer to the furnace after a defeat to the Wallabies that sees his record as head coach stand at 11 wins from 19 matches.
His win percentage stands at 57, which places him uncomfortably close to Springbok rugby’s underachieving coaches since readmission.
By the time he vacated the position Allister Coetzee’s win percentage stood at 44; Harry Viljoen's was 53 when he suddenly quit; while Rudolf Straeuli, who coached during a tumultuous time for the Bok brand, won 52% of the time.
The often-maligned Peter de Villiers had a win return of 62%, while Heyneke Meyer and Jake White both have a win ratio of 66. Nick Mallett had a 71% success rate while Kitch Christie boasts a blemish-free record in his 14 Tests in charge.
Nienaber does not appear to be suffering from insomnia. For a man who obsesses about detail, he prefers not to dwell on the number that will ultimately determine the length of his tenure.
“Personally, and what the team feels, is the pressure we put on ourselves,” Nienaber said from Sydney on Tuesday.
“That’s obviously because of the losses. We all feel pressure because you want to produce for your country.
“The pressure is trying to get solutions for the next game. It’s not pressure from the outside. It is internal pressure. No coach can control outside pressure and that comes with the territory.
“We live and die by that pressure. If you start focusing on that you are focusing on the wrong things. The pressure we feel is the things we want to get right.
“The external pressure will always be there. And that’s on all coaches. If you lose two games there will be external pressure on you.”
The Rugby Championship was blown wide open when the All Blacks lost at home for the first time to Argentina last weekend. They joined the Springboks on two defeats, while the Wallabies and Argentina have lost one each so far in this season’s competition.
Nienaber concedes there is now no room for error.
“It is a must-win for all the teams,” he said when asked about the significance of the result of this Saturday's game.
“It is very tight in the Rugby Championship. Everyone’s close to each other [on the log]. Whichever team wants to win the tournament needs to probably win the last three matches. We are in the same boat.”
If that is so, Dave Rennie’s Wallabies and Michael Cheika’s Los Pumas are basking on the sun deck. The heat the Boks and the All Blacks are facing is of a very different nature down in the boiler room.
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