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Francois
Pienaar

Learn everything you need to know about Springboks hero Francois Pienaar right here on RugbyPass.

Francois Pienaar Bio

As a former captain of South Africa and a winner of the 1995 Rugby World Cup, Francois Pienaar is undoubtedly a legend of South African rugby and was inducted into the RugbyPass Hall of Fame in 2021.

Born 2 January 1967, Francois Pienaar made his debut for Transvaal in 1989. From then until 1996, he enjoyed a highly successful stay with the side. In 1993, the team won the Super 10, Currie Cup and Lion Cup under his stewardship. The year after, they retained the Currie Cup and he was voted international player of the year by Rugby World magazine.

Due to the success he’d experienced at Transvaal, Francois Pienaar was first selected to represent South Africa in 1993. Between 1993 and 1996, he made 29 appearances for the Springboks, featuring as captain on every occasion.

The highlight of Francois Pienaar’s career was undoubtedly the 1995 Rugby World Cup. The Springboks were seeded ninth going into the tournament, but they left as champions after defeating New Zealand in the final. Following the conclusion of the game, Francois Pienaar was handed the Webb Ellis Cup by Nelson Mandela, who was wearing a Springboks jersey with his number on it.

Shortly after the 1995 Rugby World Cup, Francois Pienaar was instrumental in turning the game professional. However, in 1996, he was controversially dropped from the South Africa side after he was accused of feigning an injury by head coach Andre Markgraaff. As a result, he left South Africa and became a player-coach for Saracens.

Francois Pienaar then retired from the game in 2000, when he took up a role as the CEO of Saracens. However, he stood down from the role in 2002. Although he remains a director of Saracens, he’s now returned to South Africa and regularly works as a pundit. He’s also a member of the International Rugby Hall of Fame and the IRB Hall of Fame.

Rugby World Cup Icons: Francois Pienaar

Francois Pienaar receives the Webb Ellis Cup from Nelson Mandela

Fixtures & Results

Sat May 13, 2023
FT
ISS Stadion
Norway Norway
-
8:00am
Denmark Denmark
LIVE
10
22
Sat May 6, 2023
FT
Budapest Rugby Center
Hungary Hungary
-
8:00am
Latvia Latvia
LIVE
21
22
Sat Apr 29, 2023
FT
Daugava Stadium
Latvia Latvia
-
6:00am
Czech Republic Czech Republic
LIVE
7
43
FT
National Sports Academy Vasil Levski
Bulgaria Bulgaria
-
8:00am
Slovenia Slovenia
LIVE
39
19
FT
Kamberovica Polje
Bosnia-Herzegovina Bosnia-Herzegovina
-
8:00am
Serbia Serbia
LIVE
12
40
FT
Prada de Moles Sports Stadium
Andorra Andorra
-
11:00am
Norway Norway
LIVE
26
6
Sat Apr 22, 2023
FT
Yizreel Rugby Club
Israel Israel
-
6:50am
Slovenia Slovenia
LIVE
50
7
FT
National Stadium
Andorra Andorra
-
10:50am
Finland Finland
LIVE
23
31
Sat Apr 1, 2023
FT
Rugby Academy-Siauliai
Lithuania Lithuania
-
7:00am
Sweden Sweden
LIVE
15
18
FT
Gradski sportski centar Makarska
Croatia Croatia
-
10:00am
Switzerland Switzerland
LIVE
22
32
Sat Mar 25, 2023
FT
Rugby Academy-Siauliai
Lithuania Lithuania
-
8:00am
Croatia Croatia
LIVE
37
39
Sat Mar 18, 2023
FT
Stadion Stari plac
Ukraine Ukraine
-
9:00am
Sweden Sweden
LIVE
38
15
Sat Mar 11, 2023
FT
Stadion Lucko
Ukraine Ukraine
-
8:00am
Switzerland Switzerland
LIVE
32
59
Sat Feb 25, 2023
FT
Gaborone Rugby Football Club
Botswana Botswana
-
9:00am
Eswatini Eswatini
LIVE
111
3

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