Gysie Pienaar is a seasoned Springbok player that showed great skill and ability in his day, and shared it after he hung up his boots. Learn more with Rugby365.
Gysie Pienaar Biography
Zacharias Matheus Johannes Pienaar, or Gysie for short, is a retired Springbok player that enjoyed the game during the amatuer days, and helped the Springboks lift the Webb Ellis Cup in that iconic 1995 Rugby World Cup victory.
The veteran was born on 21 December 1954 in Bloemfontein and went straight into playing for his hometown, the Free State, at the age of 21 in 1975.
The Springbok fullback stayed at the club throughout his career, spanning 12 years. He amassed 906 points over 165 appearances for the Free State and won the Currie Cup a year after he joined. The fullback would go on to reach the final the following two years but lost out to the Bulls, 27 - 12 and 13 - 9 respectively.
Gysie Pienaar recalls the game being about much more than just the sport itself, but the community and friendships that occured along the way.
A tour which was especially notable was during the 1991 Rugby World Cup when the old hand toured alongside the Bulls to partake in the festivities surrounding the prestigious tournament hosted by five European rugby nations at the time.
Before his introduction to coaching, however, he too donned the green and gold, playing 13 games for the Springboks between 1980 and 1981. Gysie Pienaar made his debut against the South American Jaguars as a replacement in Durban. He would start his next game at fullback against the British & Irish Lions, a series the Springboks would go on to win 3 - 1.
The retired fullback managed one try and two penalties in the series.
His final contribution to Springbok rugby in a player capacity would be in the infamous 1981 tour of New Zealand. He joined forces alongside other rugby legends such as Divan Serfontein, Danie Gerber, Carel du Plessis, and Theuns Stofberg.
The expertise Gysie Pienaar acquired during his time playing was well distributed. First to the Springboks while part of the coaching staff that won the Rugby World Cup in 1995, and then to his son, Ruan Pienaar who went on to win the 2007 Rugby World Cup.
A truly selfless display of character by the legend to give back after he had his time in the sun. Gysie Pienaar continues to be a marker for what makes South African rugby as impactful as it is.