Blaming Nienaber misses Ireland’s real issues

Former Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber is not to blame for Ireland’s struggles according to former England hooker Brian Moore.

Former Ireland players and pundits pointed fingers at Nienaber following the 36-14 Six Nations defeat to France in Paris, suggesting his influence at Leinster has disrupted Ireland’s attacking fluency. Moore, however, believes that narrative ignores deeper and more uncomfortable truths.

Writing in his Telegraph column, Moore said: “The deconstruction of Ireland’s emphatic loss to France has set many hares running, with a distinguished group of former Irish internationals discussing the influence of Leinster’s South African coach, Jacques Nienaber, on Ireland’s international performance.”

He noted that familiar criticisms were quickly aired after Ireland’s flat opening half.

“Tactical dissonance, lack of basic passing skills and predictable attacking patterns were all forwarded as reasons for what was one of the most underwhelming first halves of rugby played by Ireland in recent memory.

“The justification for these claims is difficult to judge but they miss factors that might be equally, if not more, responsible for Ireland’s loss.”

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Moore argued that context matters, particularly in the aftermath of the British & Irish Lions tour, which has historically left leading nations exposed in the following Six Nations.

“Anybody who is familiar with British and Irish Lions rugby should know that the Six Nations following a tour is never straightforward. The country that dominates Lions’ selections is vulnerable,” he wrote.

“It is as much a question of the mental state of players as it is physical and Ireland have a long list of affected players. Once they are all available we will be able to judge more accurately.”

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Another factor, Moore believes, is the ageing profile of some of Ireland’s most influential performers, many of whom have been central to their rise under Joe Schmidt and Andy Farrell.

“What cannot be denied is that several of Ireland’s most effective players, particularly those foreign-born players identified as Irish-qualified, are coming to the end of their careers,” he added.

“James Lowe, Bundee Aki and Jamison Gibson-Park are all the wrong side of 30. Seamlessly replacing them with nascent talent is not as easy as imagined, even when younger players show abundant promise.”

Moore suggested Ireland may simply be entering a familiar cycle seen at the top of international rugby.

“Very few sides extend their place at the top of elite world rugby for more than a few years and what we are seeing might be the ineluctable cycle of regeneration, the direction of which is uncertain.”

Right on cue. https://t.co/bT7CykbIGu pic.twitter.com/LussonYAdb

— 👑Don lizz👑💥 (@rekoil92) February 8, 2026

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