Ernst van Rhyn explains Jacques Nienaber link ahead of Champions Cup quarter-final against Leinster

His remarks come as Sale gear up for a tough quarter-final showdown against four-time European champions Leinster in Dublin.

He looked back on his earlier connection with Leinster senior coach Jacques Nienaber, who helped South Africa to their fourth Rugby World Cup triumph in 2023.

"When I was playing Junior Springboks [South Africa U-20], he was involved a bit with SARU and at 18s for South Africa. So I got to know him a bit but haven't really been in touch with him over the last few years.

"Obviously a great coach, a World Cup winning coach, very passionate about the game and clear about what he wants his team to achieve.

"They'll have clarity on their plan, he's known for the defence and getting off the line, putting your playmakers under pressure and getting you to play, so we need to have a plan to counteract that."

Sale booked their place in the last eight with a 26–17 win over Harlequins in the round of 16 at The Stoop.

Even with that result, their prospects in the quarter-final look challenging. Key players Bevan Rodd and Luke Cowan-Dickie are ruled out through injury, while Nathan Jibulu is suspended after an incident in the previous round.

Van Rhyn, who has featured in competitions including Super Rugby, the United Rugby Championship, the Premiership, and the Currie Cup with Western Province and the Stormers before joining Sale in 2023, praised the quality and appeal of the Champions Cup.

"It's definitely up there. It's a very exciting tournament and although I've played in quite a few competitions, there's an opportunity to play against some players you don't normally play against some other world class players.

"Looking ahead to this weekend, I've not earnt the privilege of playing international rugby at senior level, but being able to play against Irish internationals is an amazing opportunity. Ranks very high up in competitions and even more so when it gets to knockout rugby."

He also compared the tournament’s intensity to that of Test rugby, especially when coming up against a side as strong as Leinster.

"I would say it ranks up there, and if you look at the Leinster team, the amount of internationals they have is very close to a full international team so you would assume that the intensity that they have and the quality of game they play at would be close to international."

Van Rhyn highlighted the high-pressure nature of knockout rugby and stressed the need for accuracy against elite opposition.

"It is knockout rugby so you only get one chance, but it is about finding the balance between using our emotions in the right way but also being clinical and having clear decisions.

"Leinster are a team that if you make mistakes, if you give them half chances, they're going to take it and punish you."