Playing in Ulster is something that a player does not forget and the impact a player like Pedrie has had will not be forgotten.
Ulster Rugby today confirmed that back-row forward Pedrie Wannenburg will leave the club at the end of this season.
Pedrie, who has represented the Springboks on 20 occasions, joined Ulster ahead of the start of 2010-11 from the Blue Bulls franchise in South Africa. The opportunity to bring him to Belfast arose when Ulster’s deal with Xavier Rush (who was to leave Cardiff Blues for Ulster) fell through, but the impact that Pedrie has had since arriving in Belfast well and truly illustrates that every cloud has a silver lining.
In his first season at the club Pedrie featured in an outstanding 29 out of 30 competitive games amassing more minutes on the pitch than any other player that season in a feat of consistency and durability and in doing so became a real fan favourite.
Pedrie has remained a very important part of the squad in his second season in Belfast although injuries picked up both away to Edinburgh in January and at home to the same opposition in March have led him to miss a handful of games.
“While we’re announcing now that Pedrie will be leaving us come the end of the season it does seem premature to be wishing him, his wife Evette and baby daughter Isabelle well at this stage as I know he remains absolutely committed to our cause as we enter the ‘business-end’ of the season” commented Ulster’s Director of Rugby David Humphreys.
Ulster Rugby will finalise their squad make-up for 2012-13 in the coming weeks.
