Before Bryan Habana and Siya Kolisi became household names, Francois Pienaar was the most recognised face of the Springboks.
He is best known for leading South Africa to victory in the 1995 Rugby World Cup and is also referred to as the “Lays guy” due to his appearances in numerous commercials for the brand.
Pienaar was born in Vereeniging but completed high school in Witbank. He then enrolled at Rand Afrikaans University (now the University of Johannesburg), where he studied law. He made his provincial debut for Transvaal Province in 1989 and joined the Springboks squad in 1993, following South Africa’s readmission to World Rugby.
Francois Pienaar only earned 29 caps for the Springboks
Two years later, he captained his team to their first Rugby World Cup triumph at Ellis Park, a moment regarded as one of South Africa’s most iconic. The image of Pienaar receiving the trophy from Nelson Mandela became an iconic symbol of unity in post-apartheid South Africa.
His stay with the national team was short-lived after he was controversially dropped from the Springbok squad after 29 caps by coach Andre Markgraaff in 1996. He then moved to Britain, where he became the player-coach for Watford-based club Saracens.
Where is Francois Pienaar today?
After retiring from playing, Pienaar became Saracen’s CEO but stepped down a couple of yeas later and returned to South Africa where he took on various roles within rugby, including CEO of the Rugby World Cup Bid Committee.
He also worked as a rugby commentator and founded the “Make a Difference” (MAD) charitable organization. On October 24, 2011, the former Springbok captain was inducted into the IRB Hall of Fame.
Despite stepping out of the limelight, Francois Pienaar has remained involved in numerous charities and regularly works as a rugby analyst and commentator.
How good was Pienaar?
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