Wynand Pienaar – Welkom Gimnasium captain
Player Profile
This Saturday, Welkom Gimnasium, the favourites, play arch rivals Goudveld in an FNB Classic Clash, and Wynand Pienaar is their captain.
The most celebrated player ever to represent the Griffons is legendary flyhalf Eric Herbert. Wynand Pienaar is still in Grade 11 and captains Welkom Gimnasium from the flyhalf position. Having represented the Griffons at Craven Week this year, could he be the heir to King Eric’s throne?
Born in Welkom on 5 August 1988, Wynand attended junior school at Welkom Volkskool (incidentally the same junior school as his opposing skipper, Wesley Minnie). Apart from a brief stint at centre in Grade 6 (Std 4) he has played flyhalf his whole life. Being in Grade 11 it is obviously a great honour for Wynand to captain the 1st XV but he is comfortable with the responsibility having played in the Gim 1st XV last year. Wynand comes from a rugby family, his father Riaan having played flank for Eastern Transvaal and the Griffons.
Wynand feels he has returned from Craven Week a more mature player even though the Griffons won only one game, against Namibia. They led in both their other matches, against the Valke and South Western Districts, by twenty points at half-time and proceeded to lose them. He must have learnt some harsh lessons there on how to defend a lead. In terms of his education he hopes to study at a good rugby university after leaving school.
The Welkom Gimnasium team are having a good season and are currently third on the local log. Their best win of the season to date came last week when they beat Voortrekker of Bethlehem, 44-15. Wynand was especially happy with the discipline of his team in this fixture, something that will be very important in a derby game, which are often decided by small margins.
Gim have a heavy pack of forwards and a quick backline and so they will be looking to drive the opposition before taking them wide. Gim go into the game as favourites as they are playing at home and won last years game comfortably.
Wynand and his team are taking nothing for granted though and are taking the season one game at a time. The derby game against Goudveld is the biggest game of the season, and Wynand is relishing the honour of leading his team out against their rivals.
Wynand describes himself as an attacking flyhalf who loves to run with the ball. He defends reasonably well and can kick if the need arises. Not surprisingly his rugby hero is Daniel Carter of New Zealand. Wynand says he is trying his best to play like Carter. For the future of South African rugby we can only hope that he gets it right.
