In what is a massive boost for the province and something that seemed very unlikely until very recently, Ruan Pienaar has signed a new three year deal with Ulster.
The Springbok scrum-half had been heavily linked with a move to Heineken Cup Champions Toulon and it had appeared as if he was all set to join the Top 14 side at the end of the season.
Reports emerged yesterday that the deal had hit a snag amid Toulon’s pursuit of Castres’ Rory Kockott and Ulster fans received the news they were all waiting for today with confirmation of the news that Pienaar has signed an extension to his contract that will keep him at Ravenhill until at least 2017.
Commenting on the new deal, Pienaar said: “I am delighted to be staying at Ulster. I have really enjoyed my first three seasons at the Province and I am looking forward to helping the team compete for silverware in the coming years.”
A delighted Ulster Director of Rugby David Humphreys added: “To be successful, you need top-class players, therefore I am extremely pleased that Ruan, who is one of the best scrumhalves anywhere in the world, is extending his time with us.
“The announcement of this contract will give everyone at Ulster Rugby – the players, the staff and the fans a huge lift, especially as it had been wrongly reported that Ruan would be leaving us.
“It was no surprise to us that his services were coveted by other clubs, but we always knew that what we could offer him in terms of a great playing squad, a world class stadium and state-of-the-art training facilities would be enough to make him want to stay.
“Ruan’s decision to commit to three more years at Ravenhill is a huge endorsement of what we are doing at Ulster and I have no doubt that he will be a key part of our success in the coming seasons.”
Since joining Ulster in the summer of 2010, Pienaar has already amassed over 500 points (510) in 63 games and at the age of 29, he has already represented the Springboks 71 times, including in the thrilling Rugby Championship encounter against the All-Blacks at the weekend.
Comfortable at both scrum-half and out-half, Pienaar is easily one of the most talented performers playing in Europe at the moment and confirmation of his stay will serve as a massive boost ahead of Ulster’s Heineken Cup opener against Leicester Tigers this weekend.
