28 / 68
www.
ULSTERRUGBY
.com
26
RUAN PIENAAR
After seven years, it will be emotional saying
goodbye to your Ulster Rugby family?
It has been a rollercoaster; this week especially
has been really emotional. I have thought about
this moment, this last game and being involved
with the team and this club, for the last couple of
months now and it has come a bit quicker than I
expected. Saturday will be tough and emotional
for me and my family, but I will try to enjoy it as
much as I can. It’s the last time I get to play a
competitive match with the guys I have played
with for a couple of years now so I am looking
forward to it, but it will be really tough to say
goodbye.
What would you say are your
Ulster Rugby highlights?
Making my debut back in 2010
was special. You come over
here as a foreign player and
you’re not sure how the crowd
and your teammates will accept
you. It was a big step and I was
nervous but obviously making
my debut was exciting. From
then every Friday night was such
a good experience, running out
to a packed stadium in front of
a passionate crowd. The fans always come out
to support, no matter what the weather is like.
European games are the ultimate experience
and those are the games you love to be involved
in. We have had some special wins at Kingspan
Stadium over the years. The 2011/12 season
stands out for me. We made it against all the
odds which was incredible. We even surprised
ourselves making that final and although we lost,
it was a special occasion for the whole club and
for the whole Province of Ulster.
What was your favourite game to play in?
I have two favourites. Firstly, at Thomond Park
in the quarter final of the European Cup against
Munster. It was my first experience down there
and everyone said how tough it was going to be
and it was exactly that, so to come away with the
win against such a good team was great.
Also, the semi-final at the Aviva. So many
people travelled down to support us and from
the moment we walked down the stairs at the
Shelbourne Hotel, it was packed with Ulster
supporters who all started clapping and singing
and it was really emotional to see everyone.
What will you miss most about Ulster?
The people. They have made it really special.
The guys I have met within the team and all the
fans have really welcomed us. The people we
have met will be lifelong friends and I will stay in
touch with as many of them as I can. Belfast is a
great place to live, it has its challenges, people
are sick of my jokes about the
weather but it is an awesome
place to bring up a family, it’s a
beautiful country and like I said
the people make it special so it’s
sad to say goodbye.
My daughter was born here
so we will always have ties to
this country, my wife has been
terrific. We were only married
a few months before we made
the move here and thankfully we
have adapted well and she has
embraced the culture and made
a lot of good friends. For my kids, my wife and I,
it will be an emotional day on Saturday. It will be
tough knowing in a couple of weeks, we have to
get on a plane and leave these shores.
What does the future hold for the Pienaar
family?
We are off to France for a couple of years, I
will probably see my career out there. This is
home for us now so hopefully we will have the
opportunity to come back to Northern Ireland and
settle here. If we could plan our perfect scenario,
the plan is to come back and settle here in Belfast
in about five years.
Good Luck Ruan!
FAREWELL RUAN