Irish rugby will miss Ruan Pienaar influence, says Leinster's Luke McGrath

It won’t be just the Ulster fans and players who will miss Ruan Pienaar when the Springbok leaves Ulster this summer, believes Leinster scrum-half Luke McGrath.

The South African legend will play his last game for the province on Saturday, when Leinster visit Belfast for the final game of the Guinness PRO12 regular season.

With Ulster out of the running for a playoff position, it brings an unceremonious end to the Irish leg of the 33-year-old’s career. Pienaar, who was part of South Africa’s 2007 Rugby World Cup winning team, was one of the most talented players ever to play in Ireland, and had hoped to extend his seven-year stay in Belfast. But the IRFU’s policy of prioritising Ireland-qualified players led to them rejecting Ulster’s request to re-sign the talismanic figure.