Ex-Ireland coach slams Nienaber

Eddie O’Sullivan says four-time Investec Champions Cup winners Leinster have gone backwards under senior coach Jacques Nienaber.

Nienaber joined the Irish giants in 2023 after guiding the Springboks to World Cup glory, replacing attack-minded Stuart Lancaster. While Leinster won the Vodacom URC title in 2024-25, European success has remained elusive, with defeats in the 2023-24 Champions Cup final and the 2024-25 semi-finals.

Speaking on the Indo Sport podcast, O’Sullivan questioned whether the club is heading in the right direction.

“I don’t think Leinster’s current form is any indication they’re going to win the European Cup, I think [head coach] Leo [Cullen] knows that,” he said.

“I don’t think Leinster are playing great rugby and there are two dimensions to it. I keep going back to Nienaber, he’s really the head coach, he’s the guy calling all the rugby shots.”

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O’Sullivan said Leinster’s defensive identity has become a double-edged sword.

“They have built their house on defence and the defence has worked really well on occasions but, when it’s malfunctioned, it’s been catastrophic, as we saw against Northampton last year.”

He added that recent inter-provincial matches exposed flaws.

“That Leinster defence is very breachable if you play the right move at the right time and I’m surprised other teams haven’t figured it out sooner.

“It’s extreme blitz and it’s very narrow … they launch like mad dogs in a meathouse. But a couple of times against Munster … that ball gets out of there, it’s over, it’s a two-on-one run-in.”

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O’Sullivan’s concern extends beyond defence.

“The other side of this is that their attack has gone backwards under Nienaber, it’s become incredibly attritional. It’s become primarily one-off runners.

“Occasionally they go to the edges, they do a nice reload and there’s a couple of spots out the back, but by and large they’re trying to batter teams into submission.”

He believes Leinster’s issues are compounded up front, where their set-piece is no longer the dominant force it once was.

“Their scrum is a part of that and when their scrum gets on top, they will crucify you, but they’ve had their issues around referees.”

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O’Sullivan concluded with a blunt assessment.

“There are three parts to their game which are vulnerable: their scrum is vulnerable on the wrong day, their defence is vulnerable on the wrong day and their attack is pretty predictable.

“I don’t think they’re going to batter their way to a European Cup like they do URC teams.”

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