“He’s The Godfather Of Defence”: Mongalo Relishes Tactical Battle Against Jacques Nienaber!

Sharks defence coach Joey Mongalo believes Saturday’s clash with Leinster will provide a valuable test for a young Durban backline against one of the most established defensive systems in world rugby.

The Sharks have caught the eye with the attacking potential of their youthful backs, but they face a significant challenge against a Leinster side coached by former Springbok defence mastermind Jacques Nienaber.

Mongalo expects Leinster to field a formidable combination of experience and provincial pedigree, describing the challenge as being similar to facing Ireland.

“I must first say, if you look at Leinster, the amount of experience and provincial caps those guys have, we’re expecting a full-blown Leinster team, which is pretty much like playing against Ireland,” Mongalo said.

“And then they’ve got Jacques Nienaber as the lead coach there, who I admire as one defence coach to another. So, that’s an established group of guys, and we know what we’re going to get from them. But what a privilege for our youngsters to go up against that and test themselves against the very best.”

While the occasion could be daunting for some players, Mongalo believes the youthful nature of the Sharks backline could work in their favour.

“The beautiful thing about youth is that they can almost be oblivious or ignorant to what’s coming,” he said.

“So, they just want to run out there and test themselves against whatever that is.”

For Mongalo, the match also represents an opportunity to measure his own defensive philosophy against Nienaber’s renowned system, although he was quick to dismiss the idea of a personal coaching duel.

“There’s no greater thing in sport than to test yourself against the best,” Mongalo said.

“This is by no means a Jacques versus Joey thing.”

Mongalo has admired Nienaber’s work since the early stages of his own coaching career, when the latter was already involved with the Stormers.

“I was a youngster at the Lions, starting to coach in 2011, and Jacques was already coaching the Stormers at the time,” he said.

“So, I’ve been admiring him. I’d regard him as one of the godfathers of defence.”

The Sharks coach believes the clash could offer rugby followers a fascinating insight into two sophisticated defensive systems, particularly when it comes to line speed.

“It’s a privilege for me in that space to say, ‘Okay, let’s go be on the field with Jacques and test yourself against what he does.’ But again, that’s not a Joey thing; it’s not a Joey-Jacques thing,” he said.

“I think it’s more about two similar systems, because to coach line-speed defence is an art. I’m still learning it, and Jacques has mastered it with Leinster, with the Springboks. He’s won a World Cup, he’s been in a Champions Cup final, and he’s won the URC.”

With the Sharks’ youthful attack set to face one of the world’s most highly regarded defensive structures, Mongalo expects the encounter to showcase a specialised side of the game.

“It should be quite a spectacle for people to watch,” he said.

“It’s different. It’s a skill set of its own that should be interesting to watch.”