Ruan Pienaar will take on his former Ulster team-mates next season after joining Pro14 side the Cheetahs.

The 35-year-old has agreed a two-year deal with the Bloemfontein-based club.

The South Africa scrum-half joins the Cheetahs after securing a release from his Montpellier contract following the death of his sister in a car accident.

Pienaar, who was also linked with a return to Belfast, is now in line to play home and away matches against Ulster in Conference A.

The 88-times capped Springbok was the Pro12 player of the year for the 2010/11 season and was twice included in the team of the year during a successful seven-year spell at Ulster where he made 141 appearances.

Pienaar is the Cheetahs' first signing of the summer and will replace fellow scrum-half Shaun Venter, who has joined the Ospreys for next season.

The Cheetahs finished sixth in Conference A last season with eight wins and a draw from 21 regular-season matches.