Ruan Pienaar

Renowned for his skilful passing and his ability to kick with both feet, Ruan Pienaar is a true great of South African rugby. He’s won the Rugby World Cup at U19, U21 and senior level and he currently plies his trade for the Sharks, where he is on loan from the Free State Cheetahs and Cheetahs. Ruan Pienaar was inducted into the RugbyPass Hall of Fame in 2021.

Throughout his distinguished domestic career, Ruan Pienaar has represented some of the world’s finest sides. He played for the Sharks in the Currie Cup and Super Rugby until 2010, when he moved to Europe. Here, he represented Ulster between 2010 and 2017 and Montpellier between 2017 and 2019. At Ulster, he’s regarded as a club legend.

In 2019, Ruan Pienaar returned to South Africa and signed with the Free State Cheetahs. A year later, he also began to represent the Cheetahs. From 2021, he joined the Sharks on loan.

As well as enjoying a highly decorated domestic career, Ruan Pienaar has also been a force at the international level. Between 2006 and 2015, he featured in 88 test matches for the Springboks and won the Rugby World Cup with the side in 2007. This followed his successes at the junior level, where he also won the U19 and U21 Rugby World Cups. 

With several years of elite rugby still ahead of him, we can’t wait to see what else Ruan Pienaar can achieve in the game.