Francois Pienaar

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Jacobus Francois Pienaar (born 2 January 1967 in Vereeniging, South Africa) captained and played flanker for the South African Springboks national rugby union team from 26 June 1993 until 10 August 1996. He won 29 test caps and led the Springboks to victory in the 1995 Rugby Union World Cup. Pienaar was preceded as captain by the legendary Naas Botha, and succeeded by Gary Teichmann.

Pienaar was born into a working-class Afrikaner family, the eldest of four boys. After completing high school in Witbank, he won an athletic scholarship to the Rand Afrikaans University, where he studied law.

He made his provincial debut for Transvaal Province (now the Golden Lions) in 1989 before being selected for the Springbok squad in 1993. He was appointed Springbok captain from his very first test and remained captain until his very last, and remains one of the most successful South African captains of all time.

In 1994, Transvaal retained the Currie Cup under his captaincy and the Springboks also had some memorable victories. Pienaar was also voted as international player of the year by Rugby World magazine.

Prior to the World Cup in 1995, the Springboks were only seeded ninth and were not expected to dethrone the incumbent champions Australia, who had not lost a game in the preceding 12 months. As South Africa was in transition, and considering Nelson Mandela's high-profile support of the Springboks, Pienaar recognized that his side’s participation transcended the realm of sport. While the squad included only one “coloured” player, Chester Williams, the Springboks were seen as representing the whole of South Africa, not just the white minority.

During the tournament, the Springboks defeated Australia, Romania, Canada, Western Samoa and France. They then met historic rivals New Zealand in the 1995 Rugby World Cup Final at Ellis Park Stadium. Pienaar played on in extra-time despite a calf strain and the Springboks secured a three-point victory with a drop goal from Joel Stransky.

During the remarkable post-match presentation ceremony Nelson Mandela, wearing a Springbok jersey bearing Pienaar's number, presented him with the Webb Ellis trophy. During his acceptance speech, Pienaar made it clear that the team had won the trophy not just for the 60,000 fans at Ellis Park, but also for all 43,000,000 South Africans.

In 1996, Pienaar was controversially dropped from the Springbok side, after 29 caps, by coach Andre Markgraaff, who accused him of feigning an injury during a match.

Pienaar subsequently left for England, where he became player-coach for Watford-based club Saracens. Under his leadership, they defeated Wasps to win the Pilkington Cup and also finished second in the Zurich Premiership. During the next two seasons, they secured third and fourth spots in the Zurich Premiership, thereby qualifying for the European Cup on consecutive campaigns.

In 2000, Pienaar retired as a player and became Saracens’ CEO. As a consequence of the club’s lack of success during the two following years, Pienaar stepped down as coach and CEO in 2002. In the same year, he returned to Cape Town, South Africa, where he lives with his wife Nerine Winter and two sons, one of whom has Nelson Mandela as a godfather.

Pienaar also co-authored the book Rainbow Warrior with Edward Griffiths in 1999. In November 2000, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Hertfordshire.

In 2004 he was voted 50th in the Top 100 Great South Africans.

Pienaar was also involved in South Africa's bid to host the 2011 Rugby Union World Cup in 2005.

The progenitor of the Pienaar name in South Africa was a French Huguenot ^[1] named Jacques Pinard. The spelling was localized as a result of maintaining the French pronunciation.

He is currently a pundit for ITV Sport during the Rugby World Cup and known for an admiration of Bryan Habana

In the Nelson Mandela biopic The Human Touch, currently in production, that spotlights the role of the 1995 Cup win in post apartheid South Africa, the role of Pienaar will likely be played by actor Matt Damon.

[edit] Notes

1. ^  Ces Français Qui Ont Fait L'Afrique Du Sud. Translation: The French People Who Made South Africa. Bernard Lugan. January 1996. ISBN 2841000869'

[edit] External links

• Francois Pienaar at SARugby.co.za
• Francois Pienaar. scrum.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-26.
• Francois Pienaar - International Record. sporting-heroes.net. Retrieved on 2007-12-26.
• Francois Pienaar - Biography. sporting-heroes.net. Retrieved on 2007-12-26.
• Francois Pienaar. itv.com (2007-07-20). Retrieved on 2007-12-26.
• "Francois Pienaar - 1995", bbc.co.uk, 2003-09-24. Retrieved on 2007-12-26. 
• "Francois Pienaar", bbc.co.uk. Retrieved on 2007-12-26. 
• "Francois Pienaar returns to SA, joins FNB", fnb.co.za. Retrieved on 2007-12-26. 
• Francois Pienaar. rugbyhalloffame.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-29.