Springbok captain Siya Kolisi has paid tribute to departing head coach Jacques Nienaber after guiding South Africa to a second consecutive Rugby World Cup title.

When Nienaber became a defensive consultant for the national coaching team in 2011, he began working with SA Rugby and the Boks. This was more than a decade ago.

Nienaber, who is 51 years old, was part of the Bok management team at the 2011 Rugby World Cup. He then worked as a member of SA Rugby’s Mobi Unit and returned to the national coaching team in 2018. He became head coach in 2020, after the 2019 RWC win in Japan.

Nienaber was the head coach of the Springboks when they beat the British & Irish Lions in a series in 2021. But last Saturday, when South Africa beat the All Blacks in a nail-biting final, they won their second straight Rugby World Cup.

Kolisi was named Springbok captain for the first time in 2018 and led South Africa for the 53rd time in the RWC final on Saturday. After the game, he was full of praise for Nienaber and the whole management team.

“It hasn’t been an easy journey – I can’t believe what we’ve achieved today,” said Kolisi.

“The coaching staff have been ridiculous. I have worked with Jacques since I was 17 years old. I couldn’t tackle. When him and Rassie [Erasmus] used to come to training [at DHL Western Province] it was full contact. You had to show that you could do this.

“Since then, it’s just been amazing how he used to motivate us in games. We grew up around him – me and Frans [Malherbe], Steven [Kitshoff] and Pieter-Steph [du Toit].

“As I said last week, he cared about us as people. He would ask, ‘are you going to let your daughter down, your son down?’ It became far deeper than just a rugby game.

“Jacques, honestly, it’s been a huge honour for me and a huge privilege. To you and your wife and the kids, I appreciate you.

“We love you as a team, not as a coach, but as a person. You’ve taken it to another level. The way you speak to us – it’s not ‘make a big hit, make a tackle’, you talk to me as a person, as a father, a husband, as a son, it goes such a long way so thank you. We honour you as a team. All the best. They will be lucky too have you wherever you go.”