The Rumour of a move to Toulon has been laid to rest on Tuesday after Springbok scrumhalf Ruan Pienaar extended his stay at Ulster for another 3 years.

Pienaar has become quite a favourite at Ulster where hes has played in 63 matches, scoring 510 points. He has also represented Ulster in the Pro12 and European Cup respectively.

With a new 3-year deal at Ulster it seems likely that 29 year old Pienaar will finish his career at Ulster, as at the end of his 3 year deal he will be 32, which most people see as retirement age in rugby.

Pienaar said: “I am delighted to be staying at Ulster. I have really enjoyed my first three seasons at the Province and I am looking forward to helping the team compete for silverware in the coming years.”

David Humphreys, added: “To be successful, you need top-class players, therefore I am extremely pleased that Ruan, who is one of the best scrumhalves anywhere in the world, is extending his time with us.”

“The announcement of this contract will give everyone at Ulster – the players, the staff and the fans a huge lift, especially as it had been wrongly reported that Ruan would be leaving us.”

“It was no surprise to us that his services were coveted by other clubs, but we always knew that what we could offer him in terms of a great playing squad, a world-class stadium and state-of-the-art training facilities would be enough to make him want to stay.”

“Ruan’s decision to commit to three more years at Ravenhill is a huge endorsement of what we are doing at Ulster and I have no doubt that he will be a key part of our success in the coming seasons.”