Latest news with #Nienaber
The Irish Sun
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Amy Huberman cracks cheeky joke about Brian O'Driscoll after fabulous seaside Bank Holiday getaway
AMY Huberman joked about how husband Brian O'Drsicoll "caught crabs" over their Bank Holiday weekend getaway to Wexford. The golden couple topped up their respective tans by heading to the sunny south-east where they visited the beach as well as met up with friends. Advertisement 5 Amy used this photo as inspiration for her punchline on Instagram Credit: @amy_huberman 5 The pair savoured the good weather over the long weekend Credit: @amy_huberman 5 They took in some of the county's most renowned sights while down there Credit: @amy_huberman 5 They caught up with a few pals as well as 'catching crabs' Credit: @amy_huberman Sharing a photo of The Finding Joy actor later posted a full photo album from the trip that was entitled "Flex in the Wex." Her followers approved of their itinerary as a whole. One hailed: "Lovely sunshine down in Wexico!" While Catherine recalled: "Cahore for the crabbing always great fun after mass of a summer Sunday growing up." Advertisement Read More On Irish Sport Brian will likely be basing himself in Dublin this weekend, and the Aviva Stadium to be exact, as he'll be cheering on his former club side in their URC semi-final against Glasgow Warriors. However, assistant Jacques Nienaber insists the After the Scarlets triumph, Cullen made reference to the Saints game, particularly how the Blues need to get a better handle on this latest semi-final encounter. Advertisement Most read in Rugby Union The former lock conceded: 'People were looking ahead. Everyone's looking ahead. Everyone is. Supporters, staff were trying to look too far ahead. 'So it was a real harsh lesson for us, but it's about making sure we learn from that.' 'Jack Crowley he's coming for you' jokes Peter O'Mahony's wife Jess as son practices his rugby skills But for two-time World Cup-winning coach Nienaber, The South African said: 'Maybe with Leo, but not for me. For me, it's water under the bridge. Advertisement 'Not one ounce of energy from me personally put into thinking about the Champions Cup semi-final is going to change anything — except the lessons you learn. So maybe he referenced that. 'There would definitely be stuff we could have learned and that's definitely something we can bring into that. 5 Brian, 46, was decked out in this summer outfit for their day on the beach Credit: @amy_huberman 'Maybe his angle was more that. That there's lessons that we learn in that the last knockout game that we played before last week was obviously Europe.' Advertisement Leinster have fallen at the URC penultimate hurdle in each of the last three seasons and Josh van der Flier is a doubt for their latest final quest. The 2022 World Player of the Year was withdrawn after just 30 minutes of Saturday's quarter-final. The flanker was suffering from a hamstring injury. The 32-year-old is being assessed this week before a decision is made on his availability. But Nienaber is keeping his fingers crossed the openside will be fit to face Glasgow at the Aviva Stadium. Advertisement The assistant coach said: 'We hope for clearance. He went for a scan on Sunday but I don't think they've come back yet. 'I am fingers crossed, toes crossed, everything, that he can make it. It would be nice.' Garry Ringrose (calf) and Tommy O'Brien (foot) are also set to be assessed in the coming days but both centres were back running last week and are close to returns.
The Irish Sun
3 days ago
- General
- The Irish Sun
Jacques Nienaber reveals Ireland stars are injury doubts for Leinster ahead of Glasgow Warriors URC semi-final
LEINSTER assistant Jacques Nienaber insists the Champions Cup semi-final defeat by Northampton is water under the bridge as the Blues eye another last-four hurdle. 2 Leinster have not reached the URC final since 2021 when they won it 2 Van der Flier was forced off due to injury after 30 minutes due to injury in that quarter-final After the Scarlets triumph, Cullen made reference to the Saints game, particularly how the Blues need to get a better handle on this latest semi-final encounter. The former lock conceded: 'People were looking ahead. Everyone's looking ahead. Everyone is. Supporters, staff were trying to look too far ahead. 'So it was a real harsh lesson for us, but it's about making sure we learn from that.' But for two-time World Cup-winning coach Nienaber, that Euro defeat does not linger. Read More On Irish Rugby The South African said: 'Maybe with Leo, but not for me. For me, it's water under the bridge. 'Not one ounce of energy from me personally put into thinking about the Champions Cup semi-final is going to change anything — except the lessons you learn. So maybe he referenced that. 'There would definitely be stuff we could have learned and that's definitely something we can bring into that. 'Maybe his angle was more that. That there's lessons that we learn in that the last knockout game that we played before last week was obviously Europe.' Most read in Rugby Union Leinster have fallen at the URC penultimate hurdle in each of the last three seasons and Josh van der Flier is a doubt for their latest final quest. The 2022 World Player of the Year was withdrawn after just 30 minutes of Saturday's quarter-final. The flanker was suffering from a hamstring injury. 'Jack Crowley he's coming for you' jokes Peter O'Mahony's wife Jess as son practices his rugby skills The 32-year-old is being assessed this week before a decision is made on his availability. But Nienaber is keeping his fingers crossed the openside will be fit to face Glasgow at the Aviva Stadium. The assistant coach said: 'We hope for clearance. He went for a scan on Sunday but I don't think they've come back yet. 'I am fingers crossed, toes crossed, everything, that he can make it. It would be nice.' Garry Ringrose (calf) and Tommy O'Brien (foot) are also set to be assessed in the coming days but both centres were back running last week and are close to returns. One player Leinster cannot look to on Saturday is Tadhg Furlong, who missed the last-eight win over Scarlets with a calf injury. The Wexford man remains in line to feature on his third Lions tour this summer, but Nienaber acknowledged it has been a frustrating season for the tight-head prop, who has been restricted to just eight appearances for club and country. Furlong played only the final 33 minutes of Ireland's Six Nations campaign, against Italy, because of a lower leg injury. But this latest issue is with the other calf. Nienaber added: 'I can't talk for him, but I assume it is a tough year. 'You like to get a string of games and build on your confidence — get the team to get confidence in you and you get confidence in yourself and the team. I think it is frustrating.'
Eyewitness News
3 days ago
- General
- Eyewitness News
'Winkgate': Nienaber defends Sharks' Hendrikse in row over gamesmanship
JOHANNESBURG - Former Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber has weighed in on the infamous "winkgate" incident from this past weekend. In what has inexplicably become the biggest scandal in the sport, Sharks scrumhalf Jaden Hendrikse is accused by Munster supporters, and others, of shameless gamesmanship and violating the so-called #RugbyValues. Hendrikse has been blamed for faking a cramp to distract Munster kicker Jack Crowley during the penalty shootout between the teams in their URC quarterfinal on Saturday. SuperSport's cameras showed Hendrikse winking at Crowley as he was lying on the turf and receiving treatment, which incensed Munster and Irish supporters. Crowley managed to get his kick over, and the moment had little bearing on the outcome as the Sharks converted all their kicks to win 6-4. Hendrikse is a player Nienaber knows very well, having handed him his Bok debut in 2021 and included him in the 2023 Rugby World Cup-winning squad. While many online accused Hendrikse of being underhanded and much worse, Nienaber, who is now a coach at Irish powerhouse Leinster, put the incident down to being a normal part of the game. "The banter, or whatever you want to call it, trying to get into the opposition's head, is something that happens throughout the game. You try to do it physically, you try to do it with your mouth, you try to do it at set piece, a lot of things, rubbing guys' hair, faces in the ground, it happens throughout the 80 minutes," said Nienaber Nienaber said he'd come across Irish players who've engaged in similar behaviour and said they're amongst the best at it. He referenced an incident between New Zealand and Ireland in 2022 where a sledge from one of the Irish players, Peter O'Mahony, aimed at All Blacks captain Sam Cane is said to be one of the biggest motivators for the All Blacks in their win in the quarterfinals the following year "You are masters at it, the Irish… The Irish have never fell on their mouths, ever. You ask if Irish players do it? Wasn't there a thing about Pete [O'Mahony] and Sam Cane? So, there's your answer," said Nienaber. Nienaber's Leinster is preparing for the URC semi-finals this weekend, where they'll host the defending champions Glasgow Warriors on Saturday afternoon.
The 42
3 days ago
- Sport
- The 42
'Not one ounce of energy put into thinking about the Champions Cup semi-final is going to change anything'
DESPITE THEIR MIXED form since exiting the tournament, Jacques Nienaber has insisted Leinster's European Champions Cup semi-final defeat to Northampton Saints at the Aviva Stadium last month is 'water under the bridge' from his own perspective. While they booked their spot in the last-four of the United Rugby Championship with a 33-21 victory over Scarlets in the Aviva on Saturday, it was a far from vintage display by the eastern province. Leinster had completed their URC regular season campaign a fortnight earlier with an underwhelming 13-5 triumph at the expense of Glasgow Warriors and it is the Scottish outfit who will now provide opposition to Leinster at the penultimate phase of the same competition at Irish Rugby HQ this coming Saturday. Without being asked directly about the game itself, Leinster head coach Leo Cullen made reference to their 37-34 loss at the hands of Northampton on a number occasions in the press conference that followed last weekend's win against Scarlets. The Blues supremo had stressed the need for his charges to be better in their latest semi-final encounter and how the province could have been talking about a Champions Cup final if some decisions had gone their way in the dying minutes of the Northampton game. 'Maybe with Leo [it lingers], but not for me. For me, it's water under the bridge. Not one ounce of energy from me personally put into thinking about the Champions Cup semi-final is going to change anything. Except the lessons you learn. So maybe he referenced that,' Nienaber remarked at a Leinster media briefing on Monday. 'There'd definitely be stuff that we could have learned and that's definitely something we can bring into that. So maybe his angle was more that. That there's lessons that we learn in that the last knockout game that we played before last week was obviously Europe. Advertisement 'Now we have had a URC one and we have another URC one. I would say his mind, he was probably talking towards that. The lessons you can take out of that.' Although Cullen will want to make amends for that loss to Northampton, he will also be hoping his side can banish the demons of URC semi-final reversals in each of the past three seasons. It remains to be seen if Josh van der Flier will be part of their quest to overcome Glasgow in this Aviva this weekend after a hamstring injury saw him being replaced by Scott Penny just shy of the half-hour mark against Scarlets on Saturday. He is set to be assessed later on this week before a final decision is made on his availability for this weekend's action, but Nienaber is keeping his fingers crossed that the openside flanker will be passed fit to play. Yet even if van der Flier doesn't make the cut for their latest clash with Glasgow, his injury isn't expected to be a long-term concern that might put his participation in the British & Irish Lions Tour of Australia in jeopardy. Jacques Nienaber and Josh van der Flier (file photo). Nick Elliot / INPHO Nick Elliot / INPHO / INPHO 'We hope for clearance. He went for a scan yesterday [Sunday], but I don't think they've come back yet. Obviously for a semi-final, I am fingers crossed, toes crossed, everything, that he can make it. It would be nice.' The respective calf and foot injuries for Garry Ringrose and Tommy O'Brien are also set to be assessed in the coming days, albeit both players were back running towards the end of last week and are seemingly very close to being made available for match selection. One member of their Lions contingent that Leinster will definitely be without this weekend is Tadhg Furlong, who was also marked absent for last Saturday's win over Scarlets with a calf issue of his own. The Wexford man remains in line to feature on his third Lions tour later this summer, but with just eight appearances to his name with either province or country in the current campaign, Nienaber acknowledged it has been a frustrating 2024/25 for Furlong. 'At the moment he gets exposure to something and symptoms flare up and then he obviously goes back. Not back, but he just doesn't progress,' Nienaber added. 'I assume it is a tough year. I can't talk for him, but I assume that it is a tough year for him if he hasn't played a lot. 'Always I think for a player, it's tough to get a rhythm. You like to get a string of games and build on your confidence and get the team to get confidence in you and you getting confidence in yourself and the team. So I think it is frustrating.'
Irish Examiner
3 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Leinster coach Jacques Nienaber dismisses Sharks gamesmanship against Munster as 'normal'
You rarely need all seven degrees of separation in rugby. If Bradley Davids was something of an unknown until last weekend then Jacques Nienaber needed no introduction to the boyish 21-year-old whose kick ended Munster's URC bid in Durban. The Leinster senior coach's son Carlu used to room with the young half-back at Paarl Gimnasium, the same renowned rugby school in the Western Cape that has produced the likes of Jean De Villiers, Handre Pollard and Schalk Burger in days gone by. 'He was the kicker for the school,' said Nienaber. It showed at King's Park when Davids, substituted on to the field of play with just two minutes of extra-time to go, nailed his two efforts on goal from a tricky angle in the shootout that eventually separated the sides after an absorbing URC quarter-final. The pity of it is that Davids' isn't still the name on everyone's lips. That rather peculiar form of honour has gone to another Sharks half-back, Jaden Hendrikse, whose wink while being treated extensively for an apparent cramp in the middle of that dramatic end game so enraged Jack Crowley. Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus has since tweeted a close-up of Henrikse's calf which appears to back up the assertion that the 15-cap scrum-half was indeed suffering from the condition, but there is no doubt but that the matter was milked. Rory Scannell and Conor Murray, Munster's other two shootout kickers, also had reason to be frustrated by the Sharks' attitude after the game had ended all square through 100 minutes. Nienaber, a former Munster assistant coach, was more relaxed about all that. "It's something that happens in the game from minute one to minute 80. There's banter and trying to get under a guy's skin and trying to physically impose yourself on him and try and rub his hair. "I mean, that happens for 80 minutes, so in this case it was for everyone to see because it's not as secluded as what will be in a game. But it happens in a game. "Think of Pete [O'Mahony], what did he tell Sam Cane? I mean, that banter flies. If you listen to just the referee mic and you take the commentators away, it's crazy what you hear on that mic. They got stuck into each other. It's just normal." Saturday's was the first ever shootout in the history of the URC but Leinster have been preparing for just such an eventuality since they met Harlequins in the round of 16 of the Champions Cup back in April. You'd just never know. Is Nienaber a fan of it? Well, as a fan, yes. If his own side was involved? Maybe not so much. If Munster went down all guns blazing in South Africa then Leinster pressed on to this week's semi-final against Glasgow Warriors with a far-from-emphatic 12-point defeat of Scarlets at an Aviva Stadium that was barely one quarter full. The province is still awaiting news on whether Josh van der Flier will be fit for the Scottish challenge. The openside flanker came off early three days ago with a hamstring issue and Leinster were still waiting for scan results as of Monday evening. The official line is a 'hopeful' one and that, should he sit out the Glasgow game, then it still isn't a tear of the type that would jeopardise van der Flier's chances of using the ticket punched for him when named on the British and Irish Lions squad. Garry Ringrose (calf) and Tommy O'Brien (foot) are both still being assessed having sat out the quarter-final, but Tadhg Furlong is again ruled out with what is another, but different, calf problem after a season plagued by them. 'It's tough for a player to get a rhythm,' said Nienaber. 'You like to get a string of games and build on your confidence and get the team to get confidence in you. So I think it is frustrating, yeah.' Glasgow looked to be back to something approaching their best in accounting for the Stormers in Scotstoun on Friday evening and they bring four Lions to the party in Ballsbridge to face a Leinster side that is just not clicking right now. Leo Cullen mentioned the Champions Cup semi-final loss to Northampton Saints four times after the Scarlets game. This despite the fact that no-one had mentioned the game by way of a question. The sense is of a team and a club struggling to find its mojo. Nienaber claimed otherwise. 'No, it's gone. The competition is gone. Next year. Like, is there anything we can about it?'
