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The warning Victor Matfield has sent Leinster over Jacques Nienaber
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Springbok legend Victor Matfield has warned Leinster that if they don’t extend Jacques Nienaber’s contract, he will be reunited with Rassie Erasmus in time for the World Cup in Australia next year.
Nienaber recently said he feels undervalued in Dublin and has cast doubt on whether he will see out the final year of his contract, which ends in 2027, leaving the door open for a potential return to the Springboks’ coaching team.
But Matfield, who was a World Cup winner in 2007, admits the Springboks already need a second bus for coaching and support staff so finding another seat for Nienaber shouldn’t be a problem.
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“I can tell you South Africa would love to have him involved. I don’t know what’s happening there. It’s just my opinion but if you don’t extend his contract with Leinster, I think he will be 100 per cent be at the World Cup with the Springbok team.
“There’s no one as outstanding, and Rassie thinks like Jacques, even if they’ve still done really well last year without him. Him and Rassie are really close so I think if the opportunity is there for us to get Jacques back, Rassie will make it work.
“South Africa already needs a second bus for our management to travel so they can add another one into that bus as well!” said Matfield, who won 127 caps for his country.
Meanwhile, Matfield, who was speaking ahead of tomorrow’s URC Grand Final between his former club, the Bulls, and Leinster at Croke Park, has credited Johan Ackermann for instilling belief that they can win overseas.
“One of the things I like about Johan Ackermann is that he saw that in the past few years, when the Bulls went overseas, they took weakened teams to play difficult games and targeted their home games.
“Johan came in, and they travelled every time with their best team, and they created belief. They have a fantastic record overseas in this URC, and they have momentum with eight consecutive wins.
“If you listen to Marcell Coetzee’s speech after the semi-final, they were under pressure, away from home, against a great Glasgow team, but they believed they could come back. That is special,” he added.
