| Intro | South African rugby union player |
| Is |
Athlete Rugby union player |
| From | South Africa |
| Type | Sports |
| Gender | male |
| Birth | 2 January 1981, Nelspruit |
| Age: | 39 years |
Pedrie Wannenburg (born 2 January 1981 in Nelspruit) is a South African rugby union player who plays for Denver Stampede in North American PRO Rugby. He played for Castres Olympique for two seasons, after two years with Irish club Ulster. He previously represented the Bulls in the southern hemisphere Super 14 competition.
Wannenburg signed to the Denver Stampede in early 2016, and currently captains the team.
Rugby union career
Club
Wannenburg made his provincinal debut in 2001 against the Golden Lions. In 2002 Wannenburg made his Super Rugby debut against the ACT Brumbies. Wannenburg was the first player to play 100 games for the Blue Bulls and also 99 consecutive games for the Bulls. He won three Super Rugby titles with the Bulls in 2007, 2009 and 2010, as well as five Currie Cups, and became their most capped player with 114 Super Rugby appearances.
In June 2010 he decided to take on a new challenge with Ulster in Ireland competing in the Heineken Cup and Pro 12. He played in Ulster’s 2012 Heineken Cup Final defeat to Leinster. He left Ulster at the end of the 2011–2012 season and signed a two-year contract with French side Castres.
International
In November 2002, Wannenburg made his first test appearance for the Springboks against France. He narrowly missed selection to the victorious South Africa squad for the 2007 Rugby World Cup.
He has 20 caps for the Springboks.
Personal life
Following problems with drugs and alcohol in South Africa, Wannenburg became a Christian. During his time with Ulster, he attended church in Belfast with his fellow South Africans and Ulster team-mates Johann Muller and Ruan Pienaar. Also while at Ulster he got married with Evette and became a father for the first time of one girl Isabelle, and in 2013 became for the second time father of one boy Pedrie.