Ruan Pienaar is braced for a steep learning curve as the former Springbok star and Cheetahs skipper prepares to take the first steps in his coaching career.
The veteran playmaker will hang up his boots after the ongoing SA Cup and take up the position as Free State U21 backline and attack coach.
Pienaar will effectively be the bridge between the juniors and seniors and raise the next generation of senior players by equipping them to play on a higher level.
Speaking in a wide-ranging interview with BBC Sport NI, the 40-year-old World Cup winner acknowledged the challenge that awaits him outside of the whitelines.
“It’s exciting but [I’m] nervous,” he told BBC Sport NI. “Not all players make good coaches, and I’ll have to learn as I go. I’m going to give it a full go.
“I’m going to start out with the juniors at the Cheetahs and I think that’s a nice introduction. It’s stressful because I’ve got a lot of ideas and aspirations.
“Over the last couple of years, you’re coming to the end as a player, and you start thinking about your coaches, how they handled different situations.
“You try and take bits and pieces, what maybe worked, what didn’t work.
“I think you’ve got to manage people to get the best out of them. That’s a skill of its own, to make people believe in your plan.
“That’s stuff I’ll have to learn quickly.”
Photo: Fred Porcu/INPHO/Shutterstock/BackpagePix
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Src: sarugbymag.co.za
