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François Pienaar
Personal information
Full name	Jacobus François Pienaar
Date of birth	2 January 1967 (1967-01-02) (age 43)
Place of birth	Vereeniging, South Africa
Height	1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)
Weight	108 kg (17 st 0 lb)
Rugby union career
Playing career
Position	Flanker
Clubs		Caps	(points)
1997–2000	Saracens
correct as of 2007-12-26.
Provincial/State sides		Caps	(points)
1989–1996	Transvaal	100	()
correct as of 2007-12-26.
National team(s)
1993–1996	South Africa	29	(15)
correct as of 2007-12-26.
Coaching career
2000–2002	Saracens

Jacobus François Pienaar (born 2 January 1967) is a former rugby player who 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 (all of them as captain) and led the Springboks to victory in the 1995 Rugby World Cup. Pienaar was preceded as captain by Jannie Breedt, and succeeded by Tiaan Strauss. The Barbarians FC website listed Pienaar on their honour roll, a list of 16 players who had the most impact on the famous invitational Barbarians team.

Life and career

Pienaar^[1] was born in Vereeniging, South Africa 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 1993 Transvaal won the Super 10, Currie Cup and Lion Cup under Pienaar. 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.

1995 World Cup

Pienaar is arguably most famous for being captain of the first Springbok team to lift the World Cup. 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 black 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 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.

Pienaar is portrayed by Matt Damon in the movie Invictus, released in December 2009, which focuses on the story of the 1995 World Cup. The movie also stars Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela and is directed by Clint Eastwood.

Later career

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 the London 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.

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

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

Biography and biopic

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 to Morgan Freeman.^[2] The 2009 film, Invictus,^[3] is directed by Clint Eastwood, and stars Freeman as Nelson Mandela and Matt Damon as Pienaar.^[2]

Awards and honors

• 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 the Top 100 Great South Africans.^[4]
• In 2005 he was inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame.

Bibliography

• Pienaar, François, and Edward Griffiths (1999). Rainbow Warrior. London: CollinsWillow. ISBN 9780002189057
• Carlin, John (2008). Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game that Made a Nation. New York: Penguin Press. ISBN 9781594201745

References

External links

• François Pienaar at SARugby.co.za
• "Francois Pienaar". scrum.com. http://www.scrum.com/southafrica/rugby/player/11538.html. Retrieved 2007-12-26.  
• "François Pienaar - International Record". sporting-heroes.net. http://www.sporting-heroes.net/rugby-heroes/displayhero.asp?HeroID=946. Retrieved 2007-12-26.  
• "François Pienaar - Biography". sporting-heroes.net. http://www.sporting-heroes.net/rugby-heroes/displayhero.asp?HeroID=2627. Retrieved 2007-12-26.  
• "François Pienaar". itv.com. 2007-07-20. http://www.itv.com/Sport/rugbyworldcup/ITVTeam/FrancoisPienaar/default.html. Retrieved 2007-12-26.  
• "François Pienaar - 1995". bbc.co.uk. 2003-09-24. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/rugby_world_cup/history/3110397.stm. Retrieved 2007-12-26.  
• "François Pienaar". bbc.co.uk. 2003-10-01. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sportacademy/hi/sa/rugby_union/features/newsid_3108000/3108074.stm. Retrieved 2007-12-26.  
• "François Pienaar returns to SA, joins FNB". fnb.co.za. https://www.fnb.co.za/news/archive/2003/20030115francoisPienaarReturns.html. Retrieved 2007-12-26.  
• "Francois Pienaar". rugbyhalloffame.com. http://www.rugbyhalloffame.com/pages/pienaar2005.htm. Retrieved 2007-12-29.  
• "Francois Pienaar". www.genslin.us/bokke. http://www.genslin.us/bokke/PlayerData.aspx?PlayerID=26. Retrieved 2009-07-26.