“I wanted to stay and I know that Ulster Rugby did everything it could to keep me in Belfast.” – Ruan Pienaar
Scrum-halves. Ireland need them. They need them to be Irish or well on their way to being ‘Irish’.
Scrum-halves, hookers and locks. That’s the current shortage and the IRFU are addressing it.
The national team comes first – it is the biggest financial driver – so the union’s policy makes sense. Sometimes, though, policy can have a deep, personal impact.
The first major casualty of the union’s directive was Munster’s forlorn chase of Wallabies hooker Stephen Moore. No chance, they were told.
This morning, Ulster announced that Ruan Pienaar – a fan favourite and a genuine world-class scrum-half – would be leaving at the end of the 2016/17 season. Ulster were not backward in letting rugby supporters know they wanted no part of this decision.
‘The club and the player were very keen for him to extend his stay in Belfast,’ they stated, ‘with Operations Director Bryn Cunningham and Director of Rugby Les Kiss working with the IRFU over the past six months to reach a desirable outcome. Unfortunately, a contract extension was not possible due to the IRFU’s succession policy.’
So Pienaar will follow in the reluctant footsteps of Paul Warwick and Nick Williams and make a new home for himself and his family outside of Ireland.
The Springbok scrum-half issued a statement, via the club, this morning and stressed that leaving Belfast was the last thing he wanted. He commented:
“I am not moving on for a new adventure or for financial reasons – I wanted to stay and I know that Ulster Rugby did everything it could to keep me in Belfast. Ulster is special to me and my family now, and I would like to thank my wife, Monique, for coming here to support me and for helping to make it home for us…
“The club has given me a lot and I’d like to be in a position to give something back in the future if possible.
“I have many great memories of my time here and I have made some brilliant friends within rugby and outside of it. It is sad that this will be my last season as an Ulster player but I will be doing everything to ensure that we make it a successful campaign.”
Kiss hopes Pienaar may return to Belfast in future years to take up a coaching or developmental role. “I have absolutely no doubt that he will give everything to the Ulster cause for the rest of the season,” Kiss added.
As for Ulster, they have Paul Marshall [32 next season] and a couple of young prospects, Dave Shanahan and Angus Lloyd, as their listed senior squad 9s. James Hart [Grenoble] may be an option for next season but don’t be surprised if the province sources a young scrum-half from New Zealand or South Africa over the coming months.
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