Pienaar warns returning Wallaby duo
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Pienaar warns returning Wallaby duo
Ruan Pienaar has warned that Matt Giteau and Drew Mitchell’s return to Australian rugby may not go as smoothly as people expect.
The Toulon pair are set to return to international rugby in the coming weeks in the Rugby Championship after the Wallabies tweaked their selection policy to allow players with over 60 caps who have played in Australia for seven years to be called up, even if they play abroad.
That means a return for Giteau and Mitchell, who have been outstanding during their time in France where they have won the Top 14 and European Cup with Toulon.
Pienaar, who plays for Ulster, suggested that adapting to the pace of Southern Hemisphere rugby would as difficult for Giteau and Mitchell as it has been for him in recent years.
"The pace of the game is a massive difference. Where I'm playing at the moment (Belfast), the weather's not that great. Northern Ireland gets all the wet weather in the northern hemisphere. I hardly see the sun," Pienaar told the Sydney Morning Herald.
"I really need to work hard on my fitness and getting around in the game and I guess that's going to be the same for them.
"For me, watching Super Rugby, the games have been really quick. For us coming from the northern hemisphere, it's adapting to that again. That's the biggest thing."
"The pace of the game is a massive difference. Where I'm playing at the moment (Belfast), the weather's not that great. Northern Ireland gets all the wet weather in the northern hemisphere. I hardly see the sun," Pienaar told the Sydney Morning Herald.
"I really need to work hard on my fitness and getting around in the game and I guess that's going to be the same for them.
"For me, watching Super Rugby, the games have been really quick. For us coming from the northern hemisphere, it's adapting to that again. That's the biggest thing."
