Ruan Pienaar steps into coaching as playing career heads to its end

Former Springbok legend and Cheetahs captain Ruan Pienaar takes his first steps into his coaching career with him officially joining the Free State U21 and Toyota Academy coaching staff as their new backline and attack coach.

Pienaar still has a bit of unfinished business on the field, with him still available for the Cheetahs in the SA Cup competition, and when that comes to an end, he will officially hang up his playing boots and move into a full-time coaching position.

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It is an exciting step for the evergreen Pienaar, who extended his impressive rugby career into its second decade this year, after making his senior debut for the Sharks all the way back in 2004, and the 40-year-old will now hope to make a success on the coaching front as well.

Wealth of experience

“Ruan brings a wealth of experience, and the Cheetahs are fortunate to have him in our camp. He will also be involved with all the professional teams, and his job will be to further improve the skill set needed in the way the Cheetahs want to play,” said COO of the Cheetahs MJ Smith.

“Ruan will be the bridge between the juniors and seniors and raise the next generation of senior players by equipping them to play at a higher level. We need continuity between the teams.”

Giving back to the game that made him a legend over the years, Pienaar said: “I’m excited about the new role and look forward to the challenge and learning.”

The SA Rugby U21 Cup kicks off next week Friday with the Cheetahs taking on the Lions at Ellis Park, while the SA Cup competition concludes with the final between the top two sides on the log on the 25^th of May.