ALTHOUGH HIS YOUNG family were well settled at home in New Zealand, with a third child on the way, Tyler Bleyendaal found it impossible to resist the lure of Ireland when Leo Cullen came calling.
Bleyendaal had enjoyed five years as a player with Munster even if a neck injury had forced his early retirement from the game, so he had a decent sense of what life would be like if he took up Leinster’s proposal.
Still only 34, Bleyendaal admits he’s not the best at keeping in touch with people but he had maintained a bit of contact with Munster folk through fantasy football leagues and on social media. He’s looking forward to the upcoming clash between Leinster and his old team in Croke Park, as well as a visit to Limerick later in the season.
His two older kids, six-year-old Bodhi and four-year-old Riley, were born there and he and his wife, Laura, look back on that time from 2015 to 2020 as a happy time despite his challenges with injury.
“Loved it,” says Bleyendaal. “I know people would say, ‘Aw shit, but it was Limerick’ but I had a great time, great friends. We really enjoyed our time living there.”
His history with Munster didn’t give Bleyendaal any pause about joining Leinster.
“No, I’m on the coaching side now so it is different,” he says. “Playing-wise it might have been a bit different but coaching is such a great opportunity.
“You kind of put all that stuff aside. You get the friendly slagging or whatever but what a great opportunity.”
Bleyendaal was happy with the Hurricanes, where he had been coaching for four years, initially working under former Munster centre Jason Holland. He hadn’t been out looking for something new when he got that call from Cullen.
The young Kiwi coach says he had admired a lot about Leinster over the preceding years and after a discussion with Laura, felt it was the right next step in his burgeoning career.
There was the complication of their third child being due but Bleyendaal was able to return to New Zealand three weeks ago to be there for the arrival of Sienna Belle.
Being with Leinster for the first chunk of pre-season was important, allowing him to install the foundations of their game alongside his fellow on-pitch coach, Jacques Nienaber.
It seems as if they have struck up a strong working relationship early on, with Bleyendaal having full control of the province’s attack, both in phase play and from set-piece.
“I am doing the attack,” says Bleyendaal. “Me and Jacques combine around the kick and how you counter the kicking in defence, how you kick in transition, how the game works and how the kicking game ties it together.”
The chance to work with Nienaber was part of the attraction of joining Leinster. They met during the World Cup last year when Bleyendaal was part of Tonga’s coaching team, meaning he also faced an Ireland team including lots of Leinster players.
Of course, Bleyendaal and Nienaber also knew each other from their shared time with Munster back when persistent injury meant the New Zealander had slowly started to move into assisting the coaches whenever possible.
“I was probably playing like a coach for many years, to be honest,” says Bleyendaal. “I really enjoy the strategic aspect of the game, think about it that way, love to organise the team around and put them in great positions.
“Getting injured did force me but it also gave me the opportunity to get into coaching sooner. It is a hard industry to get into at times, to get that first opportunity. I am really grateful for that but I wasn’t planning on doing that as soon as I did. People say that you are a long time retired from the game so you should stay in it.”
Bleyendaal happily says that he and Nienaber see things in the game differently and that there are constant discussions about all aspects of the game.
In terms of attack, Bleyendaal feels it’s important to build on what has been there before, having succeeded fellow Kiwi Andrew Goodman in the role.
“Leinster’s a world-class attacking team, so there’s a lot to work with. There’s things that Leinster have been doing for a long time with calls, with movements, it’s trying to align the whole group.
“We’ve got top-class internationals, we’ve got academy guys looking for opportunities and we’re trying to build a game that everyone can excel in and, I guess, be really well connected with.
“But, you’ll see a lot of similar things and I’ll try and add my own flavour and kind of impose how I’d like to coach, get information across and stress certain points. It’s still a work in progress as well.”
Leinster fans are excited to see where Bleyendaal can take it.
