Ulster Rugby: Ruan Pienaar to ‘earn stripes’ before thinking of Kingspan Stadium coaching return

Pienaar says his motivation for moving into coaching is to give something back to the game – he has already been coaching at a local school in Bloemfontein – and he would be happy to work at any level.

Having been such a popular figure at Ulster, and with his old side’s coaching ticket in a state of flux at present, plenty of the Ravenhill faithful will surely have thought about the possibility of him making a return in the near future.

“If I told my wife we were moving back to Ulster tomorrow, she’d be the first one on the plane,” he said.

“It’s no secret we were all happy there and we’d be really happy if that were to happen one day but, listen, I’ve got to learn.

“I’ve got to earn my stripes and see where it takes us.

“We loved our time there, and it would be nice to create some new memories, but there are a lot of things to happen and a lot of things to learn before I could do that as a coach.

“You never know what happens in the future.”

While Pienaar got his hands on the Webb Ellis as a Springbok in 2007, and won the Currie Cup with both the Cheetahs and Sharks, he lifted no silverware during his seven-year stay in Belfast.

Perhaps doing so as a coach one day would make amends for so many near misses in the white jersey? Pienaar does not think that way.

“All we have once we retire is the memories,” he said.

“The trophies or the games that you’ve won, that counts for nothing.

“I’ve always tried to stay grounded, tried to stay humble, because in the end, you’re just another person in society.

“The trophies or games that you’ve won, they’re all gone now, but the memories you’ve made, the people you’ve met, they’re what stay with you.

“The memories are all you have at the end of it all.

“So when I have a bit of time after my last game, when I reflect on it all, it’ll be a lot of those things that come back.

“I’m looking forward to it.”