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The ex-Springboks' deal that ended the Wasps recruitment freeze
Wasps’ new deal for Francois Hougaard, the ex-Springboks scrum-half, was the moment that ended the recruitment freeze that hit the club over the recent summer months. Having signed big names such as Vincent Koch and John Ryan last winter for the upcoming 2022/23 Gallagher Premiership season, recruitment at the club was halted in the off-season due to financial concerns.
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Holding Wasps back has been their inability to repay on schedule the £35million bond debt that was due in May. That resulted in the brakes getting slammed on what director of rugby Lee Blackett was looking to do in the market ahead of the new season, including his wish to get Hougaard back on board.
Having signed very few players in comparison to the lengthy list that had left the club at the end of the 2021/22 season, there were fears that Wasps could be left short in certain areas heading into the new season. A month ago, Blackett was expecting to start the September 11 away date at Gloucester with only the players he had with him at the start of pre-season training.
However, financial reassurance has since materialised from the Wasps board, green-lighting a fresh deal for Hougaard, the permanent signing of trialist Cam Dolan and sparking a search for a couple of more new recruits before the new Premiership campaign starts at Kingsholm.
Getting Hougaard back in the building especially pleased Blackett. The 34-year-old, who has 46 Test caps from his 2009-2017 Springboks career, signed on a one-year deal last summer from Worcester where he had spent six seasons, but terms were unable to be struck for 2022/23 until recently due to the freeze on recruitment at Wasps.
Hougaard made a dozen appearances last season and switched from scrum-half to play most of his rugby on the wing, a versatility that Blackett was keen on having available at Wasps for a second season. “Really pleased,” said the director of rugby about being able to keep the South African on at the club. “We have only just managed to agree on a deal, (the delay was) more our side than his side.
“We always wanted him and we managed to agree on a deal a couple of weeks ago, so he has had two weeks in training. We always wanted Franny, we just had to make sure we could sort everything. Franny was always the one we wanted just because he can do both, he can play nine and can play on the wing for us.
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“We are always looking to improve (our squad). A month ago that would probably have been it but we are looking at the moment to get some bodies in.”
Regarding the attraction of Wasps to Hougaard, Blackett added: “It’s not only what he brings to everyone around here – he is really loved amongst the boys – it’s around what he brings as well in terms of positions he plays. He plays nine but the majority of his game time was on the wing. A lot of people saw how good he can be in that position last season.
“He had a couple of niggles at the start of last season but at this stage of his career he just loves wing and he embraced it. That is where he wanted to be and you can see the passion in him around that. I thought his defence in that area and then getting on the scoresheet a few times, you can see him playing with a smile on his face. He is loved in here and I know how much it means to him to re-sign with us.”
Comments on RugbyPass
🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
27 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusades , you can keep going.
1 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
27 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
27 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
27 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
27 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
11 Go to comments