HOUGAARD’S
GOODE HAILS ‘BRILLIANT’ WASPS NEW SIGNING
FRANCOIS Hougaard has been labelled a ‘brilliant signing’ for Wasps by former fly-half Andy Goode.
The Springboks scrum-half will make the switch from Worcester Warriors ahead of the 2021/22 season after spending five years at Sixways.
Hougaard may have earned the most recent of his 46 international caps four years ago, but Goode still believes the South African is at the top of his profession.
“Hougaard is a world-class player. I had the pleasure of playing against him a few times, especially when he was at the Bulls,” said Goode, who played for the Durban-based Sharks in 2010. “I know he’s had some injury issues in the past six months, but he single-handedly kept Worcester in the Premiership at times.
“His attacking intent at nine, his athleticism, his ability to be a real threat, is what Wasps are about as an attacking team over the last five years.”
Wasps’ firstchoice scrumhalf Dan Robson has played in just four of the club’s 15 games so far this season due to his commitments with England.
Goode believes the arrival of Hougaard, who fills the gap left by Ben Vellacott’s endof-season switch to Edinburgh Rugby, will help provide more experience during international windows.
“Dan Robson has been monumental for the club,” said Goode. “Joe Simpson before that as a nine, you look at the pedigree of nines and the way the club likes their nines to play, Hougaard fits that mould perfectly, with a lot of experience.
“A lot of youngsters at the club will be looking at this and thinking ‘is that my opportunity gone?’
“But the opportunity with Dan being away a lot now with England, he seems to be England’s number two, and that dictates he will be away a lot of the time over the next year building towards the World Cup. We all hope for Dan’s sake that is the case.
“Wasps then need a world-class nine to, not necessarily fill those boots, you need a world-class nine to be there when Dan is going to be away with England, which is what anyone connected with Wasps wants to see.
“With the youngsters like Will Porter and Sam Wolstenholme coming through, they can only learn off someone like that. It is not going to be that pressure cooker of an environment where, Dan goes and you’ve got to produce a performance like Dan, as a youngster. Learn your trade, and they are learning their trade, but they are very good youngsters and I think they can only benefit from having Hougaard at the club for a couple of years.
“I think he is a brilliant signing.” Goode spent two seasons with Wasps and scored 33 points in the club’s first match at the Ricoh Arena in December 2014.
The former England flyhalf has transitioned out of the world of playing professional rugby to becoming a respected pundit as well as a co-host of the hugely popular Rugby Pod with fellow Coventrian, Jim Hamilton. Hougaard’s successes on the pitch have come alongside a blossoming career off it too. He has stakes in numerous business ventures including vitamin pills, signage companies, fashion brands, exotic game and a capital-funding company.
He has a big passion for cars and has publicly stated his aspiration to become a billionaire.
“Any rugby player who can drive a Lamborghini, and look as good as he does with his tattoos and his perfect hair, gets my vote,” said Goode. “For people who do or don’t know, he’s very successful off the field, he’s got himself involved in a lot of businesses. It’s certainly not that he’s got a Lamborghini because he plays rugby, that’s a testament to him as a bloke as well.
“The fact he’s going to rock up in his Lamborghini at the Ricoh Arena puts an even bigger smile on my face!
“I really enjoy him as a player, he’s a good-looking boy. He’s a proper athlete, a proper professional as well.
“You speak to people around the game, he will come and give it full beans for Wasps which can only be great for the club and have that challenge at nine and maybe he develops into a mentor for the youngsters as his career potentially comes to an end.”
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