The running joke among the Ulster squad this week has been that Wayne Rooney may well think he is being serenaded by the Kingspan Stadium faithful this weekend.

With the Cheetahs in town on Saturday night (7.35pm kick-off), and supporters ready to welcome returning hero Pienaar back to Belfast, players have laughed that the chants of Ruan and the crowd's new stock favourite in ode to John Cooney may well well blend together and have the ears of the former Manchester United striker burning.

Playful now, it's not so long ago that rancour on the Ravenhill terraces was rife. It's just over three years now since the province was rocked by the news that their favourite adopted son would be forced out of the team by the IRFU's 'succession planning' and, while the unimaginable rise of Cooney both softened the blow and offers the governing body their justification, there remains a rawness regarding the human cost of the decision.

Not least for the man himself who saw his family endure a tumultuous time before finally settling back in South Africa last summer.

His spell in Montpellier was an unhappy one for all, with his wife and three children unsettled before ultimately returning to Belfast, while the family would have to deal with tragedy too when Pienaar’s younger sister was killed in a car accident a year ago last week.

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“The last three years haven’t been easy," he admitted. "I went to France, my family went with me but then they came back and my sister passed away in the meantime. My wife’s sister got diagnosed with cancer too and the kids have been moved around for three years in a row.

“There’s been a lot of challenges as a family and it wasn’t easy."

This week, back where he once thought he would see out his playing days and retire, he is happily in a much better place.

"I would have liked to have retired here, but it wasn’t to work out that way, and I think that’s the way life works sometimes.

"I didn't want to leave the place and it was taken out of my hands but I think we're finding our feet now. We've adapted well in South Africa, the kids are settled in school. That's all we really want, the kids to be happy.

“It’s nice to spend more time with my wife’s family and cousins, but we do miss everyone here, we miss Belfast."

Remarkably, had things broken differently, Pienaar could have been back much sooner than this weekend and in a more permanent capacity too.

When struggling in Montpellier, Ulster had explored a move that would have brought him back to the province just 12 months after his departure.

It is understood Ulster were suggesting a deal that would have brought him back to play limited minutes at nine in Cooney's absences while also helping fill a void at out-half in the wake of Paddy Jackson's departure in 2018.

But having made the initial unpopular decision, and despite the subsequent uproar, Pienaar admits he always felt it was unlikely the IRFU would soften their stance so swiftly.

“There was talk about it but I think it was always going to be difficult," he revealed. "I think their decision was made.

“I’m not going to mention names but probably he was always going to stick with it. That was disappointing but it is what it is.

“You have to move on and make the best of it.”

In recent times, that’s meant leading a young Cheetahs crop to a Currie Cup success last summer and, now, into the thick of the hunt for the PRO14 play-offs places. Personally, he is enjoying his rugby again too after that testing French sojourn.

"It's a good group of guys," he said. "I've really enjoyed it a lot more than France. I struggled over there a little bit with my family moving back to Belfast and I was on my own.

“Now I get to play for a team that I grew up supporting and I’ve had a lot of fun the last few months.

“I’ve been privileged to be part of a Currie Cup winning team as well, it was special to come back home and win a trophy with so much tradition behind it."

Being back this week has been something of a trip down memory lane, meeting with old team-mates and retracing steps.

The Cheetahs were training in chilly conditions yesterday at Newforge, Ulster's base when he first arrived in 2010.

"It brings back a lot of good memories," he added. "Being down here and all the cold walks up to come and train and have meetings. I can't believe time has flown so quickly. It's almost three years since I left Ulster, so it brings a lot of nice memories back.

"But what made the place really special to me was the people. I've only been here two days but I've already bumped into a few people. "It's always nice to chat to the locals, they're still very appreciative, that shows the type of people here."

Despite last weekend’s loss to Leinster, the Bloemfontein outfit sit third in the table, sandwiched between Ulster and Glasgow and occupying the final play-off position. For all the emotions surrounding it, this weekend's game has huge implications for the Conference A play-off race as well.

"It's important for both teams," Pienaar said. "We're sitting second and third, so whatever happens on Saturday will be very important for both teams. For us, we know - and I know especially - how difficult it is to come to Belfast and win a game against Ulster.

"They've been in great form the last couple of months. It's a big test for our young group and we're going to have to go to a place like Kingspan Stadium and soak up an atmosphere that's very different to what we're used to."

Different for the home fans too who, even given the stakes, will surely relish one last chance to see some of that old magic.

Belfast Telegraph