Leinster have enjoyed yet another fanatical start to their league and European campaigns, topping off their unbeaten start to the URC with two solid European Champions Cup wins.
While on paper Leinster's early dominance may not look all that dissimilar from years bygone, in reality, the province has seen its single largest change in style since it rose to the upper echelons of club rugby.
Much of that, if not all of it can be attributed to the introduction of back-to-back World Cup-winning coach Jacques Nienaber who joined the province from South Africa at last season's midway point.
Few would argue that his impact wasn't immediate, with his blueprint and scramble defence system written all over Leinster's run to last season's European final against Toulouse.
While at the time it seemed like Leinster had near mastered the South African's new way of playing, their start to this season has proved that plenty of tricks still lay up the sleeve of Jacques Nienaber - tricks Leinster will need if their to finally overcome their finals hoodoo.
READ ALSO: Tommy Bowe Gives His Solution To Expensive Ireland Ticket Prices
Jackman identifies how 'Nienaber effect' could be causing Ireland issues
While under Nienaber Leinster have looked like a whole new team, focusing on defence over attack and at times throwing discipline to the wind in pursuit of playing on the edge. The same can't be said for the Irish team who despite winning three of their four Autumn Internationals struggled to ever get firing.
Unsurprisingly, where ill-discipline has become a necessary evil to succeed in Leinster's new plan and for some possibly even an afterthought, it has become Ireland's achilles heel, with their poor disciplinary record across the November series costing them game-on-game and arguably proving the defining difference in their loss to New Zealand.
Speaking on the RTÉ Rugby Podcast, Bernard Jackman explained how the 'Nienaber effect' might be to blame for that.
Ireland's discipline has kind of dropped off a little bit and some of that is probably down to how Leinster players are playing for Leinster where it doesn't seem to be a no-no to give away penalties at the breakdown, to give away offside penalties, etc. etc.
They backed themselves to be able to get themselves in that situation and the ones they don't get blown for, they would be big wins for them.
While there is little doubt that Nienaber's effect on Leinster has been massive and judging by their record so far this season rather successful, it certainly raises a lot of questions about how Andy Farrell and Simon Easterby will manage the bulk of their stars playing a vastly different brand of rugby at provincial level.
If nothing else, Jacques Nienaber has made it very clear that he not only sees Leinster winning trophies, but also at the forefront of re-understanding how to play the game, with the club's substitution of Jack Boyle and Andrew Porter during their clash with Munster just the latest example of the South African challenging the conventional manner in which the sport is played and managed - a mindset that became the defining factor of his South African tenureship with Rassie Erasmus.
