Louw weighing up American switch
Fan favourite Francois Louw is weighing up his Bath Rugby future after exploring options to play in the MLR in the United States next season.
The South African World Cup winning flanker co-captained the Blue, Black and Whites in their 19-12 victory over Harlequins on Saturday and is now in his ninth season at The Rec.
The 34-year-old retired from international rugby after the World Cup making him a more appetising signing for any club however is out of contract at Bath at the end of the season.
With his 35th birthday approaching in June the forward is understandably starting to plan for his life outside of rugby.
Talking to The Rugby Paper, Louw said: “This is my final contract year at Bath and I’m not 100 per cent sure where I’m heading or what my future plans are.
“Once rugby is done, the plan is to go into the financial sector and I’m trying to put things in place for a smooth transition.
“I’ve done trips to America over the last few years to have a look at MLR, specifically New York, Colorado, San Diego and Seattle. I’ve had chats there and it’s an exciting tournament that’s been started up and there’s no doubt it will become a decent sized one.
“If anything happens in America it usually happens on a big scale and they’ve made some big signings in Mathieu Bastareaud (New York), Ma’a Nonu (San Diego) and Tendai ‘The Beast’ Mtawarira (Washington). There’s a buzz going on there and it’s exciting because rugby is a game that needs to constantly grow, especially in North America.”
However Louw’s departure is not a forgone conclusion just yet.
He added: “There’s a possibility I could stay at Bath, if it’s best for me and the club.
“Bath’s somewhere I’m really passionate about and this is my ninth season, so I like being here. They’ve had a lot of trust and belief in me and there’s a strong mutual relationship which has been fantastic. I’ve been privileged and excited to be part of.”
Louw left the field late in the game on Saturday having suffered a blow to the head.
He went off for the now customary HIA but Bath director of rugby Stuart Hooper, who Louw played alongside before the former lock hung up his boots to step into coaching, did not reveal whether he had failed a HIA.
However he did confirm that it has not been concussion issues which has kept Louw out of the side in recent months, rather an issue with his neck.