Jacques Nienaber admits to being unaware Leo Cullen was calling time on his Leinster coaching career

Jacques Nienaber was unaware that Leo Cullen was going to announce his standing down from the Head Coach role at Leinster.

The South African, who has most to gain when Cullen leaves, insists it was a decision the Head Coach had to make in his own time and space.

This rings especially true as Nienaber himself took the same route when considering whether or not to leave the Springboks for his own Leinster coaching role.

He made up his own mind: he would move with his family to Dublin post-RWC 2027; he would inform Rassie Erasmus afterwards.

"I think the first thing is that decisions like that, big decisions like that, it is a personal thing," said Nienaber.

"It wouldn't shock me. I had the same path when I decided, listen, I'm going to join Leinster, leaving the Springboks. So I think it's a personal thing.

"Did it shock me? No. Every coach is going to get to a place in his career where he decides this is the best for me and for whatever reason.

"That's up to Leo and his family and their thought process."

Nienaber has had three seasons working under Cullen and is entering his fourth.

"Respect is probably the word that comes to mind," he says of the boss - one he is most likely to succeed this June.

"Whenever a coach decides to move on or to change direction, I mean, respectful. That's his decision, and then you try to support as much as you can from your side."

Still, it is a job that doesn't need filling right now, down the line, yes, but not now.

"Yeah, look, like I said the other day, it's a process.

"It's a process that Leinster is busy with and I'm sure the moment that all the parties are comfortable with an announcement, it will be announced and it will be in the media.

"But currently, it's a process and let's just leave it like that."

Not least as it can make for a dangerous period of time if the squad is unsure of just who exactly it should be listening too.

The group doesn't to be worrying about this year's voice and next season's voice at the same time.

Cullen remains in complete control maintains Nienaber: "Yeah, look, for us, nothing has changed.

"It's the same coaching group. Maybe a couple of players came in and went out, but if you look at the team and how we operate and how we work, it's the same.

"So we, I think all of us as a team and coaches operating at this level, you should be professional enough to go and get on with the job.

"And I think that's the main thing for us, is listen, we get on with the job. It's been announced well in advance and we keep doing what we're doing.

"So for us, from a whole coaching and management and staff point of view and players point of view, nothing has changed.

"We have a role to fulfil within a big, high-performance organisation and we're going to fulfil that."

Nienaber is enjoying his yearly busman's holiday, the Leinster double-bump trip to South Africa and where this week and next, they face Lions and Stormers.

"The Lions are a good team. I think everybody would say that, but if you look at them statistically, especially from an attacking point of view, they were the team that had the most offloads and they scored the most tries in the competition.

"They won the South African conference and South African teams in general are doing pretty well in the URC.

"They’ve been in the last five grand finals; a South African team in the final every year. It’s a tough task to come to South Africa and face the Lions as well.

"It’s going to be a nice challenge as they showed when they played against the All Blacks.

"Ellis Park is a ground that they really put their heart and their soul into defending. It will be a nice challenge for us."