Ruan Pienaar’s professional career has lasted over two decades. But on Friday, he’ll finally hang up his boots.
Ruan Pienaar has forged a distinct route in South African rugby, and not just because of his extensive experience at the highest level.
From a young age, Pienaar was quickly identified as a talented and versatile player who had a bright future ahead of him. He earned his Springbok debut in 2006 and was part of the victorious World Cup squads in 2007. It was the start of a special Springbok career that saw him earn 88 Test caps.
In 2010, Pienaar took a bold step, moving to Ulster in Ireland. There, he blossomed into a club legend, leading them to several finals and earning the respect of European rugby. After seven stellar seasons, he joined Montpellier in France for a stint before returning to South Africa in 2019.
Pienaar’s homecoming saw him rejoin the Cheetahs, with his leadership and experience ensuring they once again achieved success in the Currie Cup.
However, he is finally moving into retirement, although the veteran will take the pitch for the last time for his beloved Toyota Cheetahs side in the SA Cup rivalry against Griquas on Friday night. According to Planet Rugby, Frans Steyn, a former Springbok teammate and Cheetahs director of rugby, expressed a strong dislike for losing. Even more than I. And he becomes anxious before the game. But on the pitch, he reads the game like few other players. It’s rare to see a player with such a well-rounded game, especially at nine. His passes are accurate, his kicking is excellent, and he reads the game quite well.”
Pienaar has remarkably remained mostly injury free throughout most of his career, a testament to his work ethic and training.
“I think I chose my position wisely, Frans (Steyn) took a bit more hammering in the midfield than I did at scrumhalf. I’ve been really blessed and fortunate that I haven’t picked up long term injuries. I had a knee injury when I was 19 or 20, but that was probably the most serious injury that I had,” Pienaar said.
“Everything is still intact. Hopefully all goes well on Friday and I will leave the game still feeling fine and being able to play with my kids afterwards.”
RUAN PIENAAR READY FOR NEXT STEPS
Pienaar will take the first steps in his coaching career when he officially joins the Free State U21 and the union’s academy coaching staff as the new backline and attack coach.
The union recently issued an official statement, with Pienaar stating: “Now that I’m going into coaching, it is something I want to concentrate on. Not all players have those skills and it is something I want to work on with them.”
RUGBY WORLD CUP WINNER WANTS TO GIVE BACK
“Ruan Pienaar brings a wealth of experience, and the Cheetahs are fortunate to have him in our camp,” MJ Smith, COO of the Free State Cheetahs (Pty) Ltd said.
“He will also be involved with all the professional teams, and his job will be to further improve the skill set needed in the way the Toyota Cheetahs wants to play. Ruan will be the bridge between the juniors and seniors and raise the next generation of senior players by equipping them to play on a higher level.
“We need continuity between the teams,” Smith added.
MATCH INFORMATION FOR A FAREWELL GAME TO A TRUE LEGEND:
Toyota Cheetahs vs Suzuki Griquas
Date: Friday, 17 May
Venue: Shimla Park, Bloemfontein
Referee: AJ Jacobs
SA Time: 18h00
TV: SuperSport Variety 4 (209)
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