In the 2011-12 Heineken Cup, Pienaar, equally adept at scrum-half or fly-half, turned in a virtuoso performance in the quarter-finals to see off Munster and he was at it again in the semis against Edinburgh.
In RaboDirect PRO12 action, he has been just as influential for Ulster. In his first season - 2010-11 - he was named in the team of the year as well as winning the player of the year award, voted by his peers.
And a year later he was in the team of the year again, this time as captain. A key performer in last season's run to the RaboDirect PRO12 final, Pienaar scored all of Ulster's points in the clash with Leinster and it was a major coup for the Ravenhill outfit when he committed to another three years in October.
On the international stage, Pienaar has amassed 74 caps since making his debut in 2006 and was part of the World Cup winning squad in 2007 while he appeared in all three of the Springboks' autumn internationals.
And this season, his form for Ulster has continued as his side have won eight of their last nine matches in all competitions, including their 100 per cent start to their Heineken Cup campaign.
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