Jacques Nienaber is a Rugby Union Coach currently Head Coach at Irish side Leinster

Born on 16 October 1972 in Bloemfontein, Jacques is 51 years old.
He studied at Grey College, Bloemfontein and trained as a physiotherapist where he obtained a BSc Physical Therapy

Jacques started his rugby career as a physio and later moved into Strength and Conditioning and ultimately coaching, specializing in Defense. Jacques was instrumental in designing the rush defense which the Springboks still use to great effect today.

He moved from Physio of the Cheetahs to Strength and Conditioning Coach.

Jacques moved with Rassie Erasmus to Cape Town in 2010 after successful Currie Cup back-to-back wins for the Free State.

In CT he coached Western Province and the Stormers rugby team as Defense Coach. A short 18-month stint at Munster in Ireland gave him great insight into the workings of Irish and international rugby before moving back to SA as Springboks Assistant Coach in 2018 and eventually Springbok Head Coach from 2020 to 2023 when the team won the Rugby World Cup in France in November 2023.

His Springbok CV is impressive with back to back Rugby World Cup wins in 2019 in Japan and 2023 in France as well as a series win over the British and Irish Lions in 2020 .

Jacques is very meticulous and his attention to detail is renowned in world rugby circles. He is extremely hard working and leaves no stone unturned, constantly innovating and finding new ways to outsmart the opposition. His story is insightful and fascinating and will leave the audience wanting more of his knowledge.