South African Fly-half/Fullback Johan Christiaan ‘Joe’ Pietersen played in Major League Rugby between 2018-2022. He represented the San Diego Legion for his entire MLR career.

Having played rugby growing up, Pietersen developed his game in the Western Province youth team between 2003-2004, also playing on the South Africa U20 Currie Cup and South African Sevens team, the ‘Blitzbokke’, both in 2024. Pietersen graduated to the Western Province senior team that same year, playing there between 2004-2010 in the Currie Cup & Vodacom Cup competitions, as well as with the Stormers in Super Rugby (at the time) between 2006-2010. In 2010, Pietersen moved to France to play with Bayonne in the Top 14 before returning to Western Province & the Stormers for the 2012/13 season. He returned to France the following season, this time with Biarritz, before splitting the 2015 season between the Free State Cheetahs and the Sharks in the Currie Cup, and continued with the Cell C Sharks through 2016. The next stage of Pietersen’s extensive professional career took him to Japan, signing with the Kamaishi Seawaves in the Top East League from 2016-2018, before moving to the USA to join the San Diego Legion.

Pietersen spent 5 seasons playing in Major league Rugby with the San Diego Legion, becoming one of the most prolific scorers in MLR history. He amassed 420pts scored across 45 games in MLR, averaging 9.3pts per game. He finished 2nd in scoring during the 2019 season, when the San Diego Legion finished as runners up to the Seattle Seawolves, falling in the final minute of the Championship Final. the 2nd player in league history to pass 400pts scored, and was the 2nd highest points scorer in league history until 2025, having finished in the Top 10 points scorers in 3 separate seasons (2019, 2021, 2022). Following the 2022 season, then-38yo Pietersen quietly retired and turned his focus to wildlife conservation in his native South Africa, through organisations such as Nkombe Rhino, OppiPanne Botswana, and Spirit of Kruger.

achievements:

• 3rd in MLR Scoring: 2022 (146pts)
• 9th in MLR Scoring: 2021 (80pts)
• 2nd in MLR Scoring: 2019 (163pts)
• MLR Runner-Up: 2019 (San Diego Legion)