Pienaar stays in Ireland
12 Jan 2012
Ruan Pienaar has signed a new two-year contract with Ulster that will keep him at the club until June 2014.
The Bok scrumhalf joined Ulster on a two-year deal at the beginning of the 2010-11 season from the Sharks. At the end of that season he won Ulster’s Player of the Year award and the Celtic League Player of the Year award, voted for by his peers. He was also named in the Celtic League Team of the Year. He has played a total of 29 matches for the club, scoring 166 points (including six tries).
‘I’ve really enjoyed my first two seasons here and when the opportunity came to extend the deal I was very excited,’ said Pienaar. ‘I’ve made some good friends here and I’ve really enjoyed the rugby side. The people of Belfast have welcomed myself and my family with open arms and so it was an easy decision in the end.’
‘We have been negotiating to retain Ruan since the summer and are delighted that he has chosen to extend his contract with us,’ said Ulster director of rugby David Humphreys. ‘He has been instrumental in the team’s success since joining us in 2010. He’s a true match winner and a total professional from his attitude in the gym, through the mentoring role he plays with younger players to the quality of performance he delivers consistently each week.’
17 Comments
12 Jan 2012, 09:00 am
sharks have lost us a lot of good ones over the years….
good luck Ruan
12 Jan 2012, 09:01 am
having said that it is not just the sharks…
12 Jan 2012, 09:18 am
Pity a union like the Bulls didn’t get hold of him when he was younger.
Anyone been to Belfast? What’s it like to live there? Looks cold, and damp and grey.
12 Jan 2012, 09:26 am
@Lions_Soutie-3: it is…at the end of the day its all about the money. but good for him. bok career prob all but over though
12 Jan 2012, 09:38 am
@grant10-1: with the new quotas ireland is introducing in their domestic league it seems ulster have chosen their man!
12 Jan 2012, 09:40 am
@flanka-4: ruan has been talking to gert and you bet he is in the plans
12 Jan 2012, 09:42 am
well, if he stays there long enough he could apply for citizenship and then who knows, maybe even make the irish national team.
dont think anyone ever noticed he was on the field for the boks so that shouldn’t be a problem. if anyone asks he can just say no.
12 Jan 2012, 09:50 am
@au revoir mon tout noirs, au revoir…-7:
12 Jan 2012, 10:09 am
belfast reminds me of south african cities, a good mix of old and modern buildings, still heavily divided based on religion rather than race.
12 Jan 2012, 10:15 am
@Lions_Soutie-3:
Vuil, pale and miserable…. even their Guinness is c r a p.
Rather motor the 150 odd k’s down to Dublin if you want a decent city
12 Jan 2012, 10:23 am
@au revoir mon tout noirs, au revoir…-7:
Same could be said for a guy like Stegmann.
12 Jan 2012, 11:01 am
Good for you Pienaar. Will be a valuable option when Boks tour the Northern Hemisphere. If needed by the new coach.
12 Jan 2012, 11:08 am
I hope he does well there, I have never rated him in the bok set up, i found his temperament to be a bit weak under stress.
12 Jan 2012, 11:18 am
@Kietzphat-11:
yip
stegmann needs to get his kak bymekaar yesterday already.
12 Jan 2012, 12:18 pm
@Lions_Soutie-3: It sucks
Suprised about all the awards Pienaar has got recently as he looked seriously out of form when joining the Boks. Perhaps the coaching staff just couldnt get the best out of him.
Still think Pienaar would still be our Bok flyhalf though had he never been given the kicking duties
12 Jan 2012, 12:43 pm
RP come on to save-the-day for many a Shark’s and Bok game when he wasn’t being shuffled around and including when he was…
12 Jan 2012, 14:09 pm
@Bod-10: Thanks!
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