Francois Pienaar
![]() Pienaar in 2017 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Birth name | Jacobus Francois Pienaar | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Date of birth | 2 January 1965 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Vereeniging,Transvaal,South Africa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 108 kg (17 st 0 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
University | Rand Afrikaans University | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Jacobus Francois Pienaar(born 2 January 1965) is a retired South Africanrugby unionplayer. He playedflankerforSouth Africa(the Springboks) from 1993 until 1996, winning 29 internationalcaps,all of them ascaptain.[1]He is best known for leading South Africa to victory in the1995 Rugby World Cup.After being dropped from the Springbok team in 1996, Pienaar went on to a career with English clubSaracens.
Early life and education
[edit]Pienaar[a]was born inVereeniging,South Africa, into a working classAfrikanerfamily, and is the eldest of four boys. After completing high school at Hoërskool PatriotWitbank,he won an athletic scholarship to theRand Afrikaans University,where he studied law.
Playing career
[edit]He made his provincial debut forTransvaal Provincein 1989 before being selected for the South Africa squad in 1993. He was appointed Springbok captain from his first test and remained captain until his last, and remains one of the most successful South African captains of all time.
In 1993 Transvaal won the Super 10, Currie Cup and Lion Cup under Pienaar. In 1994, Transvaal retained theCurrie Cupunder his captaincy and he was voted international player of the year by Rugby World magazine.
1995 World Cup
[edit]Pienaar is most famous for being captain of the first South African team to win the World Cup. Prior to the World Cup in 1995, the Springboks were only seeded ninth and were not expected to dethrone the incumbent championsAustralia,who had not lost a game in the preceding 12 months.
During the tournament, South Africa defeated Australia,Romania,Canada,Western Samoa,andFrance.They then metNew Zealandin the1995 Rugby World Cup FinalatEllis Park Stadium.Pienaar led the Springboks to a three-point victory with adrop goalfromJoel Stransky.
During the remarkable post-match presentation ceremonyNelson Mandela,wearing a Springbok jersey bearing Pienaar's number, presented him with theWebb Ellis Cup.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.
Pienaar is portrayed byMatt Damonin the filmInvictus,released in December 2009, which focuses on the story of the 1995 World Cup.
Later career
[edit]Within a month of the World Cup's conclusion Pienaar had a stand-off with SARFU after he led South African players in threatening to join their Australia and New Zealand counterparts to play professionally for the World Rugby Corporation (WRC). Pienaar had convinced numerous Springbok players to sign with the WRC, but Louis Luyt eventually dissuaded them from breaking with the SARFU.[3]During this standoff, Pienaar offered the black Springbok playerChester Williamsless than other contemporary South African players. In purely marketing terms, Williams was second only toJonah Lomu.[4]
Subsequently, Springbok players were given contracts and the International Rugby Board (IRB) voted in favour of professionalisation. Pienaar was instrumental in negotiating the deal betweenSANZARand Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation that turned rugby into a fully-fledged professional game. Some of the older generation rugby administrators branded him a traitor for selling out South African rugby to professionalism.[5]
In 1996, Pienaar was controversially dropped from the Springbok side, after 29 caps, by coachAndre Markgraaff,who accused him of feigning an injury during a match.
Pienaar subsequently left for Britain, where he became player-coach forWatford-based clubSaracens.Under his leadership, they defeated theLondon Waspsto win thePilkington Cupand also finished second in theZurich Premiership.During the next two seasons, they secured third and fourth spots in the Zurich Premiership, thereby qualifying for theEuropean Cupon consecutive campaigns.
Pienaar captained theBarbariansin his only appearance for the club against Leicester at Twickenham in 1999.
Test history
[edit]No. | Opposition | Result (SA 1st) | Position | Tries | Date | Venue |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | ![]() |
20–20 | Flank(c) | 26 Jun 1993 | Kings Park,Durban | |
2. | ![]() |
17–18 | Flank (c) | 3 Jul 1993 | Ellis Park,Johannesburg | |
3. | ![]() |
19–12 | Flank (c) | 31 Jul 1993 | Sydney Football Stadium(SFG), Sydney | |
4. | ![]() |
20–28 | Flank (c) | 14 Aug 1993 | Ballymore Stadium,Brisbane | |
5. | ![]() |
12–19 | Flank (c) | 1 | 21 Aug 1993 | Sydney Football Stadium(SFG), Sydney |
6. | ![]() |
29–26 | Flank (c) | 6 Nov 1993 | Ferro Carril Oeste Stadium,Buenos Aires | |
7. | ![]() |
52–23 | Flank (c) | 13 Nov 1993 | Ferro Carril Oeste Stadium, Buenos Aires | |
8. | ![]() |
15–32 | Flank (c) | 4 Jun 1994 | Loftus Versfeld,Pretoria | |
9. | ![]() |
27–9 | Flank (c) | 11 Jun 1994 | Newlands,Cape Town | |
10. | ![]() |
9–13 | Flank (c) | 23 Jul 1994 | Athletic Park,Wellington | |
11. | ![]() |
18–18 | Flank (c) | 6 Aug 1994 | Eden Park,Auckland | |
12. | ![]() |
42–22 | Flank (c) | 8 Oct 1994 | Boet Erasmus Stadium,Port Elizabeth | |
13. | ![]() |
46–26 | Flank (c) | 15 Oct 1994 | Ellis Park, Johannesburg | |
14. | ![]() |
34–10 | Flank (c) | 19 Nov 1994 | Murrayfield,Edinburgh | |
15. | ![]() |
20–12 | Flank (c) | 26 Nov 1994 | Cardiff Arms Park,Cardiff | |
16. | ![]() |
60–8 | Flank (c) | 13 Apr 1995 | Ellis Park, Johannesburg | |
17. | ![]() |
27–18 | Flank (c) | 25 May 1995 | Newlands, Cape Town | |
18. | ![]() |
20–0 | Flank (c) | 3 Jun 1995 | Boet Erasmus Stadium, Port Elizabeth | |
19. | ![]() |
42–14 | Flank (c) | 10 Jun 1995 | Ellis Park, Johannesburg | |
20. | ![]() |
19–15 | Flank (c) | 17 Jun 1995 | Kings Park, Durban | |
21. | ![]() |
15–12 | Flank (c) | 24 Jun 1995 | Ellis Park, Johannesburg | |
22. | ![]() |
40–11 | Flank (c) | 1 | 2 Sep 1995 | Ellis Park, Johannesburg |
23. | ![]() |
40–21 | Number 8(c) | 1 | 12 Nov 1995 | Stadio Olimpico,Rome |
24. | ![]() |
24–14 | Number 8 (c) | 18 Nov 1995 | Twickenham,London | |
25. | ![]() |
43–18 | Flank (c) | 2 Jul 1996 | Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria | |
26. | ![]() |
16–21 | Flank (c) | 13 Jul 1996 | Aussie Stadium (SFG), Sydney | |
27. | ![]() |
11–15 | Flank (c) | 20 Jul 1996 | AMI Stadium,Christchurch | |
28. | ![]() |
25–19 | Flank (c) | 3 Aug 1996 | Free State Stadium,Bloemfontein | |
29. | ![]() |
18–29 | Flank (c) | 10 Aug 1996 | Newlands, Cape Town |
Retirement
[edit]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. Pienaar is one of 5 directors of Saracens as of 11/23.[6]
In 2002 he returned toCape Town,South Africa, where he lives with his wife Nerine Winter and two sons. Both hadNelson Mandelaas a godfather.
Pienaar wrote his autobiographyRainbow Warriorwith Edward Griffiths in 1999. In November 2000, he was awarded anhonorary doctorateby theUniversity of Hertfordshire.
Pienaar was also involved in South Africa's failed bid to host the2011 Rugby World Cupin 2005.
He was a pundit forITV Sportduring the Rugby World Cups of2007,2011and2015.
Depictions in media
[edit]Pienaar and Mandela are the subject of a 2008 book by John Carlin,Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game that Made a Nation,that spotlights the role of the 1995 Cup win in post-apartheid South Africa.Carlin sold the film rights toMorgan Freeman.[7]The 2009 filmInvictus,[8]based on the book, was directed byClint Eastwood,and starred Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela andMatt Damonas Pienaar.[7][9]
Awards and honours
[edit]- In 1995 he was voted Rugby Personality of the Year by Britain's Rugby Union Writers' Club, as well as Newsmaker of the Year in South Africa.
- In 2004 he was voted 50th in theTop 100 Great South Africans.[5]
- In 2005 he was inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame.
- On 24 October 2011, he was inducted into theIRB Hall of Fame.[10]
See also
[edit]- List of South Africa national rugby union players– Springbok no.584
Bibliography
[edit]- Pienaar, François,[b]and Edward Griffiths (1999).Rainbow Warrior.London: CollinsWillow.ISBN978-0-00-218905-7
- Carlin, John (2008).Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game that Made a Nation.New York: Penguin Press.ISBN978-1-59420-174-5
Notes and references
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^The progenitor of the Pienaar name in South Africa was a French Huguenot named Jacques Pinard. The spelling was localised as a result of maintaining the French pronunciation.[2]
- ^The cover of the English language book (Written by a British author and published in the UK) uses the French spelling, François, rather than the Afrikaans spelling, Francois.
References
[edit]- ^"Francois Pienaar | Rugby Union | Players and Officials".ESPN scrum.Retrieved9 November2019.
- ^Lugan, Bernard (1996). –Ces Français qui ont fait l'Afrique du Sud.(Translation:The French People Who Made South Africa). –ISBN978-2-84100-086-9.
- ^Francois Pienaar | South African History Online.Sahistory.org.za. Retrieved on 5 November 2015.
- ^Gallagher, Brendan (28 October 2002)."Williams lifts lid on racism".The Daily Telegraph.London.
- ^ab"Rugby photographic encyclopedia & rugby union player/hero images by sporting-heroes.net".sporting-heroes.net.
- ^"SARACENS LIMITED - Officers (free information from Companies House)".find-and-update pany-information.service.gov.uk.Retrieved27 December2020.
- ^abKeller, Bill. – "Entering the Scrum". –The New York Times Book Review.– 17 August 2008.
- ^The Human Factor.– IMDb.
- ^"When Matt Dawson met Matt Damon and Francois Pienaar".BBC. 1 February 2010.
- ^"RWC legends inducted into IRB Hall of Fame"(Press release). International Rugby Board. 26 October 2011. Archived fromthe originalon 27 October 2011.Retrieved26 October2011.
External links
[edit]- Francois Pienaarat theWorld Rugby Hall of Fame
- Francois PienaaratESPNscrum
- "Francois Pienaar – 1995".bbc.co.uk. 24 September 2003.Retrieved26 December2007.
- "Francois Pienaar".bbc.co.uk. 1 October 2003.Retrieved26 December2007.
- "Francois Pienaar".rugbyhalloffame. Archived fromthe originalon 9 December 2012.Retrieved29 December2007.
- "Francois Pienaar".genslin.us/bokke.Retrieved26 July2009.
- 1967 births
- Living people
- Sportspeople from Vereeniging
- Afrikaner people
- South African rugby union players
- South African rugby union coaches
- South Africa international rugby union players
- Rugby union flankers
- Golden Lions players
- Saracens F.C. players
- Barbarian F.C. players
- World Rugby Hall of Fame inductees
- South Africa national rugby union team captains
- Rugby union players from Gauteng
- 1995 Rugby World Cup players
- South African expatriate rugby union players in England
- Lions (United Rugby Championship) players