Ruan Pienaar to buck Dublin trend in Pro 12 semi-final

Rugby, they say, is all about brawn and brains, and Leinster must answer questions in both departments when they face Ulster in the RDS this evening.

Still hurting from that recent 30-6 drubbing in Belfast, Leinster will now plan to execute a turnaround in fortunes by outmuscling Ulster up front, and indulge in a bit of ingenuity behind the scrum.

That’s exactly what Ulster did a few weeks ago with their not-too-massive pack exercising dominance that allowed Ruan Pienaar and Paddy Jackson to call the shots.

Scrum-half Pienaar has been to the forefront of Ulster’s late run to grab a top four shoot-out with their provincial rivals. A tad off-key earlier in the season following his stint with South Africa in the World Cup, Pienaar is now back to his consummate best, in his decision-making and delivery to Jackson, who is thriving from his partner’s intelligent play.

In turn, Pienaar is full of praise for Jackson’s efficient work outside him. “Paddy has been fantastic this season, with his decision-making, kicking, managing to get the backline going, and general organising. He has definitely made a giant step-up and as a nine inside him it’s been great.

Paddy Jackson

“The forwards, in particular, are delighted with someone who organises well and keeps them on the front foot. He is also kicking very well off the tee, and virtually making me redundant,” said Pienaar, adding Jackson is now “pushing Johnny Sexton” “To have two very good 10s [for Ireland] to pick from augurs well.”

“For us to work well as a unit, it starts with me doing my basics as well as possible. At times, it’s about keeping Paddy calm on the pitch and giving advice where I can, but he is now one of the leaders in the team and not afraid to speak his mind.”

Previous visits to Dublin haven’t gone Ulster’s way — they have lost 11 of the last 12 — and Pienaar is aware of the size of the challenge: “We just have to do our basics well... I think it has been a couple of soft moments have let us down. We have ended up chasing the game. Against a team like Leinster when you are chasing the scoreboard it becomes very difficult and you start to make more mistakes and the discipline drops.

“We have to be accurate in what we want to achieve. When you get opportunities you got to take them otherwise you will be severely punished. I’ve learned a lot from playing against them in play-off games, so we must remain focused and from that we will do well.”

Pienaar has already experienced defeat at this stage, Ulster bowing out last season to Glasgow. “It was a hard pill to swallow. It was really disappointing, but this is a different game, a new season, a new era, and we are really excited to be still involved in the competition at this stage.

“We had to work really hard to get to this place. We were under pressure in all the games recently, so mentally and physically we are in a good place having played our best rugby of the season in the past month. So hopefully when the pressure comes on now, we will be able to operate turn in a good performance.”

Here’s a little extra sport: Ahead of Euro 2016 BallTalk TV ask which Irish players in the Premier League had the best season: