Pienaar gone but hopefully not forgotten

I came across this in a report:

Ulster booked their place in the 2012 Heineken Cup Final after putting in a professional performance to defeat Edinburgh 22-19 on Saturday.

It was a win starring scrum-half Ruan Pienaar, who contributed not only seventeen points but also guided Ulster from minute one in Dublin.

I think Pienaar is probably our best technical 9....and a fine performer at that position in tests. Nobody wants to leave out a match winner like Hougaard, but Pienaar should be part of our best match 22. The most versatile player we have....9, 10 and 15....he also kicks decently.

Ruan's career was destroyed by the loons who moved him to 10 as a starter. Why anybody should be forced to play in their third best position beats me. But as a scrummie there are few better.

Mozart - I watched the game last night and Pienaar was indeed awesome.   he was the man odf the match and thoroughly deserved that based on his performance.   Incidentally he also had a brilliant game in the quarterfinal against Munster - so his performances have been top class.

I always rated Pienaar as one of our best players and he was kept out of the Springbok team by a show pony - Du Preez.   I saw Du Preez  losing a game for SA at Twickenham and he had a varying career performance ever since that time.   He could be good in one game and bad in another - never really consistent.

I hope Meyer watched that game as well.   I think Pienaar probably played too well in the Heyneken Cup and he ould have been back in SA if he did not cause Ulster as the upset team in the squarters and semis - so he did himself no favours.    He could be back within the next three weeks.

Thanks for that info Mike.  I envy you chaps your easy access to all the rugby. Here in the States I have to scrape by with a very unreliable internet.

We would be foolish to leave Pienaar out of our plans.

Mike, Ruan has been great all season. I am trying to remember which game it was (I am pretty sure that it was against Leicester Tigers, also in the Heineken) that he was MOM as well. Stefan Terblanche had a blinder that night as well, but he was not playing at centre. He was in his correct position of fullback, and he played like a 25 year old. I can recall a banner in the stands reading something like: "Tigers (if it was against them) were Ruaned."

 mozart....here in Canada we have a channel which was Setanta...Irish Channel now called Sportworld.

Can't you guys in the States subscribe through your cable operator to get that channel.

Mostley soccer but all the S15, Currie Cup, OZ and NZ games as well as the 6 Nations and most if not all of the English/Welsh/Irish/Scotland and French club games.

Well worth the extra costs...I think.

AJ here in the States it's Fox, but our cable provider doesn't carry the channel. Thanks for the heads up, I'll do a bit of exploring.