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
We’re building a bridge but can't agree where the river is.
2 Go to commentsfirst no arms shoulder or helmet tackle into his rib cage is going to be so very painful even to watch. go back to RU mate.
2 Go to commentsBulls by 5. Plus another 50.
3 Go to commentsJohan Goosen avatar. Cute. Surely someone at RP knows how to do a google image search?
3 Go to commentsCan’t these games play a little earlier? Asking for a friend.
3 Go to commentsIt’s impressive that we can see huge stadiums with attendance in the 40 000 to 50 000 region. It shows how popular this competition is becoming. What is even more impressive is the massive growth in broadcast viewership. The URC is one of the two best leagues in the World, the other being the Top14.
7 Go to commentsChristie is not Sottish, like the majority of the Scotland team.
2 Go to commentsHold the phone, decline over-rated. Is it a one game, dead cat bounce or the real thing? Has the Penney dropped? Stay tuned.
45 Go to commentsTotally deserved win for the Crusaders Far smarter than the Chiefs who seem to be avoiding the basics when it matters Hotham showed them what was missing and Hannah seems a real find - a tad light but that can be fixed over time
8 Go to commentsGreat insight into the performance culture with Sarries and I predict Christie will be a fixture in the Scotland team now for some time to come. However, he is slightly missing his own point around Scotland “being soft” when he cites physicality examples in defence of that slight. The issue is much closer to the example he referenced around feeling off before a game but being told “it doesn’t matter, you can still play well” by Farrell. Until Scotland can get their psyche in that square, they will carry on folding under extreme pressure…
2 Go to comments> We are having to adapt, evolve and innovate more than when we were in Super Rugby where there was only really one style that everybody had to play to gain the most success. Have = able to? Interesting what that one style might be? I thought SA sides still had bad tours now, or at least bad schedule, months away? Those extra few hours flights have to be a killer though, no surprise to see their sides doing so badly at the start of the season each year. I wouldn’t enjoy that unfairness as a supporter.
7 Go to commentsThe problem for NZ, and Aus, is they ripped up the SR model and lost a massive chunk of revenue that hasn’t been replaced. Don’t forget SA clubs went North because they were left with no choice, Argy unceremoniously binned and Japan cast adrift. Now SR wasn’t perfect, far from it, but they’ve jumped into something without an effective plan, so far, to replace what they’ve lost. The biggest revenue potential now lies in Japan but it won’t be easy or quick to unlock, they are incredibly insular in culture as a nation. In the meantime, there is a serious time bomb sitting under SH rugby and if it happens then the current financial challenges will look like a picnic. IF the Boks follow their provincial teams and head north then it’s revenue meltdown. Not guaranteed to happen but the status quo is a very odd hybrid, with the Boks pointing one way and the clubs pointing the other way. And for as long as that remains then the threat is real.
45 Go to commentsI think Etene has had some good tuition, likely while at the Warriors to be a professional that helped his rugby jump, but he was certainly thrown in the deep end way too early. Should have arguably 20 less SR caps, and therefor a way better record that he does at his age, but his development would have been fast tracked by the need to satiate his signing away from league. Again, credit to him and others that he has done it so well. Easy to fall over under that pressure in the big leagues like that but he kept at it when I myself wasn’t sure he was good enough.
1 Go to commentsAwesome story. I wonder what a bigger American (SA) scene might have mean for Brex.
1 Go to comments“Johnny McNicholl and the Crusaders” save a Penney. Who has been in camp this week and showed them how to play?
8 Go to commentsSo, reports of the Crusaders’ demise / terminal decline are perhaps just - slightly - premature/exaggerated…? 🤔 Will we see a deep-dive into that by the estimable Rugbypass scribes, and maybe one or two mea culpas? Thought not.
8 Go to comments1. The Chiefs are rudderless without DMac, which enhances his AB chances 2. Chiefs pack are powderpuffs. The hard men arent there anymore 3. They had their golden title chance last yr and wont threaten this yr. Gone in second round of playoffs.
8 Go to commentsHonestly, why did you have to publish such a foolish article the day they play us? 😂
45 Go to comments> They are not standalone entities. They are linked to an amateur association which holds the FFR licence that allows the professional side to compete in the league. That’s a great rule. This looks like the chicken or egg professional scenario. How long is it going to be before the club can break even (if that is even a thing in French rugby)? If the locals aren’t into well it would be good to se them drop to amateur level (is it that far?). Hope they can reset from this level and be more practical, there will be a time when they can rebuild (if France has there setup right).
1 Go to commentsWhat about changing the ball? To something heavier and more pointed that bounces unpredictably. Not this almost round football used these days.
35 Go to comments