Ulster's Neil Doak: Provinces just feeders to national system

Ruan Pienaar will be available for his Ulster swansong this Saturday afternoon when the province bring the curtain down on a very disappointing Guinness PRO12 season by welcoming Leinster to the Kingspan Stadium.

Ulster assistant coach Neil Doak, who is also leaving the Ulster professional set-up at the end of the season, revealed that Pienaar will be fit for the dead rubber interprovincial derby following fears his wonderful eight-year reign at Ravenhill had ended due to a back spasm.

The 31-year-old Springbok, who has been one of the most influential Ulster players in the professional era, came off after only eight minutes of last week’s unedifying defeat by Ospreys.