Nienaber focuses on Boks preparations as issue of spying is raised at World Cup

Spying will never beat good and thorough analysis, Springboks coach Jacques Nienaber said on Friday. 

His team plays Scotland in their Rugby World Cup opener in Marseille on Sunday, but attention was diverted from the clash amid, albeit isolated reports, of the fear of spying during the tournament. 

The 1970s saw a proliferation of capers and spy thrillers shot along the Cote d'Azur, but Nienaber, speaking from his team's base on the outskirts of Toulon, believes rugby in its contemporary form hardly offers the ideal set for such nefarious activity. 

“I don't understand the spying thing, because through proper analysis you have a good idea of what's coming your way.”

The topic of spying was raised earlier this week when The Telegraph reported a leading tier one country asked World Rugby for clarification about potential sanctions should a side be found to have spied on another.  

In his column in the same publication, Wales coach Warren Gatland noted: “I am not surprised that concerns have been raised about spying before the start of the Rugby World Cup in France.”

The reality is there are no grounds for allegations of spying at this RWC so far.

“I'm not on social media, but my wife told me about it and I think Fozzie [All Blacks coach Ian Foster] was asked about this matter in a media conference,” said the Bok coach. 

Nienaber said there would be no reason to spy on the Springboks as they are transparent about their selections and, up to a point, the way they play. 

“I can't speak for other teams, but if you look at how we do things, we announce our team early in the week,” he said about the practice of naming the Bok match-day 23 on a Tuesday before a Saturday Test.  

RWC rules dictate teams be announced two days before a game unless special dispensation, as was the case this week, is sought. 

“The players know on the Monday already and we'd probably want to announce the team on a Monday, but my personal programme from a rugby perspective is too busy. 

“On a Tuesday, I give input, but I'm not as responsible for the rugby stuff on the second day, which is why it suits us better from an administrative point of view to announce our team then. 

“We get it out as quickly as possible because we believe it doesn't have any bearing on people knowing or not knowing the team.” 

Nienaber added the documentary Chasing the Sun gave viewers an accurate snapshot of how the team operates. 

“Even locally, we have a series where we go into depth in how we manage our players, so we're transparent as we can be. I'm not saying other teams aren't like that, but I'm giving you my perception on it.” 

Nienaber said the best intelligence that can be gleaned comes from analysis, especially information that can be extrapolated from head-to-head confrontations. 

“I've coached against Gregor [Townsend, Scotland's coach] since 2016. He was at Glasgow at the time and we were drawn against Glasgow and in the Pro12 back then, we played them four times in one year. 

“Coaching against Gregor, his style of play and coaching is something we're accustomed to from 2016, so you get used to going into coaches. 

“With proper analysis, you have an incredibly good idea of what you're going to face on match-day, even though there will be 5% to 10% changes or something new. 

“As South Africans, you'd ask if we're going to use the maul and we’d agree, and you haven't spied on us.”