Pienaar’s Ulster departure is the right move for Cooney and the nation
THEY’VE gone very quiet all of a sudden. It’s only been a few months since howls of Ulster outrage greeted the announcement Ravenhill icon Ruan Pienaar would not be having his lucrative contract extended.
Indeed, the indignation stretched far beyond the northern province as a raft of pundits weighed in under the general banner of: ‘What shoddy treatment for such a loyal servant to Ulster rugby.’
There was even a ‘what about the children?’ element to it all, with repeated references to Pienaar’s progeny (Lemay and JeanLuc) being born in Belfast — as though that was remotely relevant to a professional rugby call.
Those of us who backed the decision on the basis it would aid Ireland’s ambitions in a position, scrum-half, where quality cover for Conor Murray is light were predictably savaged by furious fingers on email and Twitter, however the greatest abuse was reserved for IRFU high performance director David Nucifora.
The Australian has been a contentious figure since assuming the most important role in Irish rugby three years ago but the evidence is overwhelming that everything Nucifora has done has been consistent to his brief of furthering the prospects of the Ireland team and Joe Schmidt.
For this he, and Schmidt, deserve tremendous credit and the fruits of this approach are starting to be plucked.
Not allowing Australian captain Stephen Moore join Munster is one example, as it saw the emergence of Niall Scannell as an international-class hooker and potential long-term successor to Rory Best for Ireland.
And now, ditching Pienaar looks like it will be similarly justified, based on the man-of-the-match display given by John Cooney in Ulster’s victory in Treviso last weekend.
It was a typically tepid performance by the northerners which failed to secure a bonus point as they laboured to a 21-14 win having been 21-0 ahead midway through the second half.
However, Cooney’s performance was a massive positive — for Ulster and Ireland. His break and reverse pass set up Andrew Trimble’s second try, he then saved a certain Treviso score with a brilliant tackle before charging down a clearance kick to allow Jacob Stockdale cross in the corner — Cooney also converted all three touchdowns. It was a pretty stunning contribution and one which emphasised the importance of players knowing they are first choice and guaranteed regular game time. Cooney had been a peripheral figure for the last five years, doing his apprenticeship at Leinster before being in and out of the Connacht side behind Kieran Marmion following a transfer west. But there is clearly a rich talent here — identified by Nucifora and Schmidt, who worked with him at Leinster. No-one is suggesting Cooney is in the same league as Pienaar — at least not yet — but the fact is that, for all of the showstealing displays given by the Springbok since he joined in 2010, they have won nothing.
Regardless of rants by Pienaar apologists, there was little point giving him a contract extension at 33 when his considerable abilities were on a downward slope.
There is also a wider issue here — namely Ulster’s over-dependence on South Africa as their primary source of imported talent and the failure of that policy to land the silverware they crave.
One of the more bizarre sights in Irish rugby in recent years occurred in Ravenhill earlier this month when Ulster hosted Pro14 new boys, the Cheetahs. Of the 30 starters in Belfast, 21 hailed from South Africa — the 15 Cheetahs and six more playing for Ulster.
As well as the two Springboks, Marcel Coetzee and Jean Deysel, Ulster started four more South Africans — Louis Ludik, Rob Herring, Wiehan Herbst and Robbie Diack — who are now qualified as ‘Irish’ in rugby terms.
The Ulster-South Africa link goes back a long way, to the late 1990s in fact when Dion O Cuinneagain played briefly for Ulster but really took off from the mid2000s onward.
While the likes of Pienaar, Ludik and Stefan Terblanche were all accommodated in the backline, most of the South African imports have been up front — to the point where it is possible to name almost an entire pack of Springbok-capped forwards who have done time with Ulster (Robbie Kempson, BJ Botha, Johann Muller, Franco van der Merwe, Jean Deysel, Marcel Coetzee and Pedrie Wannenburg).
THERE is something about the Afrikaner culture that really appeals to Ulster, and vice versa, and may be rooted in shared religious bonds — Pienaar, Muller and Wannenburg held regular prayer meetings during their time in Belfast while the likes of homegrown players such as Andrew Trimble and Paddy McAllister (now with Gloucester) are similarly devout. The late Nevin Spence once noted that Ulster was ‘a great place to be a Christian’ and this culture undoubtedly is a pull factor for the Afrikaner core backboning the province in recent times.
However, the rugby bond has been less successful and it is telling that the main South African influx post-dates Ulster’s last trophy — the 2006 Celtic League. Perhaps it is time for a rethink. While the abilities of Ulster’s South African contingent over the years have rarely been in question, it has not led to tangible achievement and, for all the vast resources pumped into the province, they have also lagged behind Leinster and Munster when it comes to showcasing local talent.
Of the 15 that began Leinster’s win over Cardiff last weekend, 12 came through the province while Munster started nine locals in their win over the Cheetahs — Ulster started just four players who had come up through their own ranks against Treviso.
As well as producing their own talent, there in an onus — driven by Nucifora — to take in Ireland qualified players from other provinces where there is a need and that is why it is so encouraging to see Cooney’s move working out.
Hopefully, just as it has quietened the Pienaar protest groups, this might also lead to a change in mindset away from the old ‘In case of emergency, break out the South African’ policy that has failed so consistently.
If Ulster aren’t going to win trophies — they could at least do more for the national cause.