Pienaar to 'earn stripes' before thinking of Ulster return

Ruan Pienaar will retire from playing this month

"If I told my wife we were moving back to Ulster tomorrow, she'd be the first one on the plane."

Some seven years after leaving Ulster, and two months after his 40th birthday, Ruan Pienaar is readying himself to hang up the boots.

The Springbok World Cup winner, widely considered to be the Irish province's greatest ever signing, has played for Montpellier, the Sharks and Cheetahs since bidding an emotional farewell to Kingspan Stadium when the IRFU blocked a proposed contract extension.

It will be in the colours of the latter that he will run out one final time on 17 May, his hometown club taking on the Griquas in an SA Cup match.

"Obviously it was a sad time for me when I had to leave Ulster and I would have liked to see out my career there," Pienaar told BBC Sport NI.

"I was really happy and as everybody knows unfortunately I wasn't allowed to stay.

"To end my career at the province where I grew up, with the team that I grew up supporting, it's also really a good finish.

"To come full circle, I never thought I'd be back in Bloemfontein playing rugby, and to finish up here is pretty special."

Pienaar played his last game for Ulster at the end of the 2016/17 season

Pienaar made his professional debut for the Sharks in the Currie Cup 20 years ago, and finishes at a time when a two-decade career in the sport is virtually unheard of.

"I chose my position wisely," laughed the scrum-half. "I definitely didn't take as many shots as some other players.

"I've tried to be as professional as I can. As you get older, you realise that nutrition and all those things play a big part in terms of playing well and getting that bit of longevity out of your body, but I've really enjoyed what I do.

"I think that plays a big part. Having played this long, the key has been enjoying it every day and wanting to learn and wanting to get better every day."

Even in these final days as a player, the next chapter has already started for Pienaar. Last week he led his first coaching session with the Cheetahs Under-21s.

The immediate transition from player to coach is one that has prompted a mix of emotions.

"It's exciting but [I'm] nervous," he said.

"Not all players make good coaches, and I'll have to learn as I go. I'm going to give it a full go.

"I'm going to start out with the juniors at the Cheetahs and I think that's a nice introduction.

"It's stressful because I've got a lot of ideas and aspirations.

"Over the last couple of years, you're coming to the end as a player, and you start thinking about your coaches, how they handled different situations.

"You try and take bits and pieces, what maybe worked, what didn't work.

"I think you've got to manage people to get the best out of them. That's a skill of its own, to make people believe in your plan.

"That's stuff I'll have to learn quickly."

Pienaar made a playing return to Kingspan Stadium with the Cheetahs in 2020.

'I've got to learn'

Pienaar says his motivation for moving into coaching is to give something back to the game - he has already been coaching at a local school in Bloemfontein - and he would be happy to work at any level.

Having been such a popular figure at Ulster, and with his old side's coaching ticket in a state of flux at present, plenty of the Ravenhill faithful will surely have thought about the possibility of him making a return in the near future.

"If I told my wife we were moving back to Ulster tomorrow, she'd be the first one on the plane," he said.

"It's no secret we were all happy there and we'd be really happy if that were to happen one day but, listen, I've got to learn.

"I've got to earn my stripes and see where it takes us.

"We loved our time there, and it would be nice to create some new memories, but there are a lot of things to happen and a lot of things to learn before I could do that as a coach.

"You never know what happens in the future."

While Pienaar got his hands on the Webb Ellis as a Springbok in 2007, and won the Currie Cup with both the Cheetahs and Sharks, he lifted no silverware during his seven-year stay in Belfast.

Perhaps doing so as a coach one day would make amends for so many near misses in the white jersey? Pienaar does not think that way.

"All we have once we retire is the memories," he said.

"The trophies or the games that you've won, that counts for nothing.

"I've always tried to stay grounded, tried to stay humble, because in the end, you're just another person in society.

"The trophies or games that you've won, they're all gone now, but the memories you've made, the people you've met, they're what stay with you.

"The memories are all you have at the end of it all.

"So when I have a bit of time after my last game, when I reflect on it all, it'll be a lot of those things that come back.

"I'm looking forward to it."