Q & A: Ruan Pienaar reveals his scrumhalf life hacks and cheat codes
Springbok and now departing Ulster scrumhalf revealed his top tips for aspiring scrumhalves to former Leinster, Leicester and Ireland A hooker and author of Rugby Revealed, Gavin Hickie.
Ulster no 9 Ruan Pienaar may have played his last game for the Irish province but he is expected to run out one final time at the Kingspan Stadium after he was named in the latest Barbarians squad to face Ulster on June 1st.
One of the mainstays of the Irish club in his seven seasons with Ulster, he also made his mark with the Springboks and has pulled on the iconic black and white striped Baa Baas jersey in the past. This accomplished no 9 has a lot of experience in his rugby position and the Rugby Revealed team asked him to share his advice on playing scrum half.
Why did you choose to become a scrum half & what do you enjoy about the position?
I played fly-half up until the age of 14. Once I went to high school I was one of the smaller guys so I tried scrum half. In my last year of High School I got taller but stuck with scrum half because I really enjoyed the position. I play a few games at 10 and 15 as well.
At 9 you are a crucial decision maker and are involved in most of the attacking play. I think the 9 & 10 are the two most important positions on the pitch in terms of making decisions, getting the team going forward and playing in the right areas of the pitch. I enjoy being in the middle of all the plays as well as being an organiser.
What are the most important skills needed to play scrum half?
Your basics of passing, your kicking game, decision making under pressure are all very important. You only have a split second to make good decisions and to provide your team with positive outcomes so focus on your core skills and the rest will follow. All the different aspects such as line breaks will come but passing, kicking and high levels of fitness are your main areas of focus.
How do you decide whether to run, kick or pass?
There is more structure to the game these days as opposed to the 80’s and 90’s so a lot of teams now have set calls for up to the first three phases and then you go into your general attack and that is where your instinct kicks in.
It is very important to scan and see what is happening even before you get to the ruck so you can make the decision even before you get the ball into your hands. You check and see if there is space at the back, whether the forwards are on or whether there is space behind them out in the backs or if the blindside is open or if you can snipe yourself. These are all things you need to look at before you get to the ruck. It is important to have that vision and clarity of what you are doing.
Some games you will do well in those areas and some games you will struggle. You may even struggle in that area for a couple of seasons but once you get going that is the key to making good decisions.
What do you want from your forwards from set-piece?
Good clean ball! As much as the backs make fun of the forwards, they have to do the hard work up front or else the backs won’t have the space to attack. So, I think it is key to have a good set-piece. Good clean ball from the lineout and clean ball at the base of the scrum which puts the opposition under pressure and give the backs space to attack. As hard as it is for a back to say, we really need the forwards to fire and give you good front foot ball.
How do you organise the defence?
It depends on the defence philosophy, whether it is a drift defence, a rush defence or an outside in defence. 9s job is to cover the chips over the defence and help the wings and full back out and cover the spaces. For the 9 the key thing is communication and making good decisions. The game of rugby is all about making good decisions and that is the same on attack or defence.
What are the mechanics of the box kick and when would you use it?
We see this more and more in the modern game. It is a 50/50 ball for your wingers to chase and hopefully win it back for your team. Taking your time to get set and getting a good base are key. I normally put my right foot out and work backwards with my left foot and then get into a good position to execute the box kick. The drop of the ball is very important as well as the follow through, making sure you are not stabbing at the ball but kicking through the target. If you are kicking from the ground, you will have less time so it is key to get your blockers in place. It is just practice, practice, practice to get a good accurate kick.
How do you develop your decision making?
It is a cliché but how you train is how you play, both as an individual and a team. I truly believe the way you train is what you will take to the pitch so training under pressure and putting yourself in game situations will lead to good decision making and accurate execution.
How do you develop your relationship with your 10?
That is key. I played with Ian Humphreys at Ulster during my first two years here and we clicked from the start. Sometimes you get into a groove with some players and without him even saying something, I know what he wants. Once you get that relationship with your 10, it is just brilliant.
Repetition in training and putting in the hard yards with your 10 is key. Sometimes it can take a while but sometimes you just click with someone. 9 & 10 are two key players who drive the attack and make the decisions on behalf of the team so for me, that is the most important combination within the team.
Where do you go mentally as a goal kicker?
Putting the hours in and spending the time in preparation ahead of a game puts me in a good space of mind. Getting confidence from practice, knowing that it is going well and staying in that process. Simply work hard and you will get the results.
What is the best piece of advice you have received?
My father played rugby and coached me and always told me “there is no substitute for hard work”. I have seen a lot of guys who might have been more talented than me or could have been brilliant rugby players but they did not have the work ethic. You have to spend hours working on the pitch to improve all those skills and to improve as player.
Even now, at the age of 33, I really like to train hard and make sure I prepare myself as well as I possibly can which gives me confidence going into the weekend’s game. Hard work is something small and simple but for me, it is the most important thing.
What is the difference between a good 9 and a great 9?
Having a high skill level along with the ability to make decisions under pressure will have a positive effect on the team. The 9 is the link between the forwards and backs so you need to be able take control and make the split-second decisions.
Gavin Hickie, USA Rugby Mens Collegiate All-Americans Head Coach, is a former Ireland A & 7s, Leinster and Leicester rugby player now Head Coach of Dartmouth Rugby. He writes for RugbyToday.com and other publications when not coaching and blogging on lineoutcoach.com. Gavin works with writing partner Eilidh Donaldson. who he describes as the ‘brains’ behind Lineoutcoach.com
Comments on RugbyPass
Ireland Reign Supreme? Really? Of the 6 nations two (Wales and Italy) were not contenders for the title. No credit to Ireland for beating them. A further nation (France) was off the boil. So it was really more like a 3N tournament. Of the two remaining Irish opponents, one (England) is in rebuild but still managed to beat Ireland. The other (Scotland) was an Irish win, but hardly a beating. It was pretty close, despite being an Irish home game. Ireland were excellent early last year, but this year they struggled to win a 6N tournament that should have been unusually easy for them to win. They were not dominant against the better teams, and they certainly don’t Reign Supreme. Let’s hope they reinvigorate their attack before the SA trip.
3 Go to commentsThanks Nick, and totally correct. Definately too many teams which is unfortunately an effect of the 21st century hubris that began after our 2nd World Cup win. Honestly we weren't like that before then. If NZ beat us in a Rugby League or cricket series (which has occasionally happened) they don't all of a sudden think they are our equal or even better than us. Unfortunately for Australia, we got carried away with ourselves and wanted to jump from 4th biggest football code to biggest…in 5 minutes. More teams, more matches against the All Blacks (so we could beat them even more). Bring it on. It’s been all down hill since then. Assuming Melbourne are gone, there are very good reasons to keep the remaining 4 in SR, or so it would seem. The Force?…wronged previously, and have $s. Surely not. The Brumbies?….easily the best performed. Surely not. The Waratahs?….most players (50%) and most followers. Surely not. The Reds?….easily the best current team, and nearly as many players and followers as the Waratahs. Surely not. I’d argue that based on how strong the combined Reds n Rebs would be and how strong a combined team of all of the other Oz SR teams would be, we have players for 2 teams…..which would be good. Good enough for a propper SR competition…or maybe good enough for Japan….if they’ll have us. Existing SR teams?….keep them and have them play a second tier…or maybe NZ's NRC….if they'll have us. This is biting the bullet. We have the cattle
1 Go to commentsbest news and very helpful
4 Go to commentsA year ago Ireland and France looked impressive. In this 6N neither looked special. Both have lost good players, but more importantly teams have figured out how to shut them down. In particular the Irish loss to a rebuilding England and the home game struggle against a brave Scotland did nothing to prove that the Irish RWC result was undeserved. If the Scots can shut down the Irish attack, then SA can do so with interest. Rassie will have watched that game with confidence. Farrell is smart, and the Irish team is talented, so we should expect a more creative game plan in SA. But if all they bring is what they showed against Scotland then Ireland is going to struggle against the Boks. It was a fun 6N tournament, but the win for Ireland was as much about weak competition as about Irish brilliance. It was mostly due to France being off the boil, Wales and Italy not being contenders, and Scotland being a home game. England are looking much better, but “much better” should not be enough to topple a team that is supposed by some to be The Best in the World. I hope that Ireland can bump it up a notch or two for the Bok tour. A year ago they were fantastic to watch. It would be great to see that again.
24 Go to commentsLooking forward to the Wallabies being competitive again. No doubt that Joe can get them back on track.
1 Go to commentsThanks, Nick, not only for this fine article, but for all the others during 6N 2024. I really enjoyed this 2024 tournament, and felt it was one of the best for many years. That final match in Lyons was really good. England were certainly unlucky when that speculative hack by Ramos lead to a French try. It could just so easily have landed in English hand.s, and they score at the other end. I did think though that the French played some great rugby, and some of their driving play in the forwards was just fearsome. I watched Meafou with interest, and he has a good start to his career. It is interesting to compare him with Will Skelton. Lot of similarities, though so far Meafou has not shown any offloading threat. All credit to Borthwick for being prepared to change, and what great result, even if that last game was lost at the death. I feel they are a real chance to cause the AB’s problems this winter/summer. Finally a comment on Ireland. I thought their last game was their worst, and they did not look like the world’s No 2 side at all. What really worries me is that the loss to England was, in my view, down to poor decision making by the coaching group, and ofc Andy Farrell wears that. It was a big mistake to move JGP away from scrum half. Murray should have been the one to go to the wing. And the “finishers” should have been on the field earlier. And this is the second time this has happened. The RWC Qf against the AB’s, and not getting Crowley onto the field was a huge mistake. Finally, finally, watching Italy play was a joy. How wonderful that they are no longer the punchbag of the 6 N.
44 Go to commentsGreat story. Rugby needs new investment in teams like Brussels another pro league in Europe would be great.
1 Go to commentsAlso, looking at the data from last year, it seemed like by far the two biggest predictors of success were (1) kicking more than your opponents, and (2) having a higher rate of line-out wins than your opponents. I haven’t gone through the stats this year with a fine tooth comb, but the increase in kicks per game and the increase in tries from lineouts would suggest that these two metrics are only getting more important. England’s move away from a kick-heavy game to win against Ireland was seen by some as evidence that running rugby is on the rise. Alternatively it could be taken as evidence that if one team kicks more, and the other team wins more lineouts (as England did) a match is bound to be close to a draw.
3 Go to commentsI have been finding it odd that points per 22 entry has become such a talked about stat, given that your points per entry can be driven down by having more entries. These data would seem to confirm that it isn’t a useful metric, or at any rate is less useful than total entries.
3 Go to commentsI think the last two games England have played is some of their best rugby they have played under Borthwick. There has been a lot more attacking instinct and as a reward have created some well worked tries. Ollie Lawrence is a good foil at 12 as he offers the hard direct lines whilst the rest of the backs can play open. As much as it pains me to say but I do hope England keep playing this way. On a side note my favourite try of the weekend was Lorenzo Pani’s for the nice loop play that put him away and his finish was excellent. Thanks as always Nick.
44 Go to commentsMost exciting player on the planet right now, worth the price of a ticket.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith and Ireland live rent free in Safa’s heads. Their comments only triggers because its true. If the Boks had dismantled a 14 man AB’s, then there would be more respect. But they didnt, in fact quite the opposite, the 14 man NZ were clearly better. And the Bok have always been ordinary between RWC’s, thats why their supporters are now ‘only RWC’s matter’. They know thats BS. Its BS to both AB’s and Bok’s due to their history. But now its all the Safas have. Now we’ll hear excuses when they lose “oh we didnt have all our players available, the ABs/France/Eng/Irel were at full strength”, forgetting for a minute that its because of their own dumb policy. Oh well, makes a change from blaming ‘cheating refs’.
24 Go to commentsNo Nick, they did not, in fact, justify any ‘probables’ label. At no time did they seriously compete for the championship. Ireland led from start to finish and in the end, as a result of glaring referee errors, were never under serious pressure to lose their crown.
44 Go to commentsMoney for him, and his family, has been the sole motivator since he signed for Queensland aged 17. Why else sign for Melbourne. Tupou is poorly advised. If he’d stayed and developed in NZ he would have had a long Test career. If Leinster offer him a few more coins than he’s currently earning, he’s goneburger.
4 Go to commentsFinn. No one would say Ford had played well up until the last game. One standout performance in 5 is hardly in form . It should be a given that a 10 will control play . Not in Fords case be praised for suddenly doing so. Where was he against Scotland ,Italy. The pundits were saying how far away from play he was standing and one even said that the Ireland game was his last chance saloon to perform . Not exactly top form catching anyones eye. If he can play like this game after game then great. Keep him in . But after 90 odd caps we all know he just doesnt keep it going . By all means keep him there but the issue is that Borthwick will persist even when he plays poorly. Which is more often than not. Thats why i am concerned that Smith ,despite fab form , cannot get a game at his preferred spot. Can you imagine Ford at full back .
5 Go to commentsI do not really get why put Ollivon at 6 when he’s a 7, while Cros was the best Frenchman of the tournament, playing at…6. His only game replacing Aldritt at 8 doesn’t change much in terms of his impact. Lamaro was also outstanding in that brilliant Italian side, probably better than Reffell. So putting 2 Welsh players from the wooden spoon holders, and none of the 4th nation (Scotland) is also strange. Is it about showing that in this harsh transition Wales is, there were some standouts…?
6 Go to commentsThe events at this year’s six nations should undermine many of the arguments made against promotion and relegation between the six nations and the REC. If Italy had been allowed to yo-yo between divisions it conceivably could have really hurt their development, but if Italy, Wales, and Scotland are all at risk of relegation, with none of them being relegated more often than once every 3 or 4 years, you’d have to back all of them to muddle on through it, especially when you factor in the likelihood they’ll still be guaranteed world league matches against tier 1 opponents. Another way of looking at italys resurgence would be to say that the development model of adding an extra team to the six nations has worked, and now must be done again. Georgia could join to make it a 7 team round robin, and if and when Georgia demonstrate an ability to consistently win games, Portugal can also be added to make it an 8 team 2 conference competition. Frankly at this point I think it falls to world rugby to demand that the 6N act in the interests of the game. If the 6N won’t commit to expansion then the 6N teams should be handicapped in world cup draws (i.e. world cup seedings would not be based on their ranking points, but on their ranking points minus a 5 point penalty).
6 Go to commentsSteve Borthwick deserves credit for releasing the shackles on his England side and letting them play in a manner that somewhat resembles the top sides in the Gallagher Premiership. Will they revert to type in New Zealand in July.?
44 Go to commentsJames Lowe wouldn't get in any other 6N team. He's a great example of Farrell’s brilliance, and the Irish system. He is slow. His footwork is poor. But he fits perfectly in that Irish system, and has a superb impact. But put him in another team, and he'll look bang average.
6 Go to commentsCrusaders reached their heights through recruitment of North Island players, often leaving those NI teams bereft of key players. Example: Scott Barrett and Sam Whitelock robbed the Canes of their lineout and AB locks. For years the Canes have struggled at lock. This rabid recruitment was iniated by rule changes by a Crusader dominated NZR Head Office. Now this aggressive recruitment has back-fired, going after young inside back Hamilton Boys stars. They now have 4 Chiefs region 10s and not one with the requisite experience at Super level. Problems of their own making!
4 Go to comments