Nacewa impact will be felt for years to come
SCANNING through the Leinster squad list, it is noticeable that only one player has been given the title of ‘universal back’.
Isa Nacewa, who yesterday confirmed he will retire for a second and final time at the end of the season, is not the type of man to be boxed into one role.
The New Zealander was not a big name signing when he arrived at the province in 2008, but his impact on the Blues in the decade since has been undeniable.
For a start there is the trophy haul — three European Cups, a Challenge Cup and a Pro12 title, with a chance to add further Champions Cup and Pro14 honours in the coming weeks. Then there is the off-field legacy, which elevates his status from Leinster icon to the greatest overseas signing in Irish rugby history.
Signed from the Auckland Blues by former Leinster boss Michael Cheika, Nacewa was central to the culture change the kick-started the golden era of 2009-2012. It is hardly coincidental that his initial retirement in 2013 was followed by a barren European Cup run the Blues will hope to end in the Champions Cup final against Racing on May 12. They have only landed a single Pro12 title (2014) since he first left.
That ‘retirement’ lasted just two years, and by 2015, Nacewa was again packing his backs for Dublin to rekindle his love affair with the province. It was a move that raised eyebrows — he had not laced up his boots since walking away from Leinster, and at 32 there were concerns over his condition, given the injury troubles he endured in that 2013 season.
As it happened, Nacewa’s work as a mental skills coach with the Auckland Blues during that hiatus would greatly inform his second stint at the RDS.
Speak to any of the young players that have shot up through the roots into the Leinster senior team over the last couple of years and they will all cite Nacewa’s influence on their development.
In a team that has contained such fierce leaders as Johnny Sexton, Sean O’Brien, Jamie Heaslip and Rob Kearney, it is Nacewa who has captained the side under Leo Cullen’s watch.
With the Blues looking to fill a leadership void as Cullen headed into his first head coach role in 2015, the Auckland native returned to Leinster on a one-year deal. Clearly reinvigorated by his time away from the pitch, he had extended that deal to play on for another season by February 2016, before agreeing a further one-year extension last year.
He will look to bow out on a high with Champions Cup and Pro14 titles before the season’s end, but keeping the 35-year-old in Dublin should be high on the agenda of the Blues’ decision makers.
Few players walk the halls of Leinster HQ with the same authority, while he has also played an invaluable role in helping the next generation of talent to make the next step up at the province.
Born in Auckland and of Fijian descent, Nacewa initially made his name with Super Rugby side the Blues, but arrived on these shores as a relatively unknown quantity.
He didn’t take long to make an impact, scoring a try on his Leinster debut before a broken arm disrupted his first campaign.
He recovered from that setback and his versatility was a key part of Leinster’s breakthrough Heineken Cup success in 2009, switching between wing and fullback and keeping Lions tourist Rob Kearney on the bench for the Murrayfield decider against Leicester Tigers.
That fine run of form continued over the next few seasons and in 2012 he earned the distinction of being the first non-Irishman to be named player’s player of the year.
The following season he collected a fifth trophy with the Blues by beating Ulster in the Pro12 final, and returned home to New Zealand citing family reasons as the main motive behind his decision.
It brought the curtain down on one of the finest careers Leinster had seen, but his return would highlight the importance his contribution has been to the province’s elevation to a European powerhouse. Nacewa lined out at full-back, wing and centre while providing a wealth of experience, although injuries had begun to take their toll this season.
Under the leadership of Cullen and senior coach Stuart Lancaster, Leinster are rediscovering the kind of fearsome form that defined the golden era of the noughties.
Yesterday’s announcement that this season would be his last came as the Blues confirmed a list of six players that would be leaving, including the long-serving Richardt Strauss, Peadar Timmins, Cathal Marsh and the previously announced Jamie Heaslip and Jordi Murphy.
Speaking about the departures of Nacewa and Strauss, head coach Leo Cullen said: ‘It is hard to articulate the impact that both Isa and Richardt have had on this club since their arrival.
‘Warriors on the pitch and wonderful men off it, they are, in my opinion, two of the best players to have ever worn the blue jersey.
‘Their impact on this group of players will be felt for years to come.’
For Nacewa, it is a legacy that is unparalleled by any other overseas import on these shores. The next chapter should be equally intriguing.