Bath take the Louw road to reach the top
FRANCOIS LOUW is one important reason why Bath are best placed to break the play- off cartel in the Premiership.
The illustrious South African, one of the world’s finest flankers, has demonstrated a devotion to Bath so profound he put his own international prospects at risk by re- signing at the Rec over the summer. Such is his importance to Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer, the risk has already brought its reward.
It is unprecedented for a player playing in England to be more than an occasional first- choice Springbok. But Louw has 25 caps and has won all bar seven of them since joining Bath two years ago.
He went straight from the Rugby Championship into Bath’s Amlin Challenge Cup tie in Bordeaux. After tonight’s derby mayhem with Gloucester and next Friday’s game at Worcester, it will be on to Wales in Cardiff.
“I wouldn’t say this is necessarily difficult, but it certainly does pose a challenge,” he said. “There are different pressures representing your country in a different coaching environment with different team- mates and a wholly different rugby pattern.
“The thing is to find a balance between the two so that you completely disconnect from the one and reconnect with the other.
“So right now my entire focus is on Gloucester.”
When Louw arrived in Bath in 2011 he had been excluded from Peter de Villiers’ World Cup squad, making the move entirely logical. But a week after his arrival he was called to the tournament in New Zealand. He was on the field when the Boks were knocked out by the Wallabies.
After that, he did not reappear until Meyer included him in the inaugural Rugby Championship, the successor to the Tri- Nations, in 2012. But even that encouragement did not deter him from signing the deal that will keep him at the Rec until 2017, when he will be 32.
“Coming to Bath, I knew it would put pressure on me in terms of selection for South Africa,” he said. “Re- signing was a difficult decision, but I made it for emotional, personal and rugby reasons.
“The two years I’ve had at this club have been fantastic. With the experiences I’ve had at Bath, I have grown tremendously as a person and as a player. I won’t forget that. When I was given the opportunity to join the Springboks again, this was where I was playing my rugby, improving my skills and ability, building my confidence.
“There is a massive vision here, something I want to be part of.”
This is loyalty no contract could buy, and the feeling is reciprocated whether Louw is with Bath or South Africa.
Meyer made him take a week off, without any selection penalty, during the Rugby Championship so that he had a clear run at his own wedding.
“I’m happy I made this commitment to Bath,” said Louw.
“It is an amazing city, club and network of people, with the priority to play the best I can and continue to represent South Africa, which is always the ultimate.”
Gloucester, like Bath, were among those given a chance of breaking into this season’s top four.
Instead, hampered by a defective front five, they languish in 10th place while it is Bath who are fourth behind the familiar Saracens, Northampton and Leicester. With a win tonight, Bath would go second temporarily. “This is a bit more than other games – our derby game in Bath is massive for the fans and the city, with a lot of hype around it,” said Louw. “But the occasion is going to get Gloucester up as well, regardless of how they feel their season has gone.”
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