Francois Louw

Francois Louw (born 15 June 1985) is a South African former professional rugby union player. A flanker, he played for Western Province, the Stormers and English club Bath. He won 76 international caps for South Africa, and was part of the team that won the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

Francois Louw
Birth nameLouis-Francois Pickard Louw
Date of birth (1985-06-15) 15 June 1985
Place of birthCape Town, South Africa
Height1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)[1]
Weight114 kg (251 lb; 17 st 13 lb)[2]
SchoolBishops Diocesan College
UniversityStellenbosch University
Notable relative(s)Jan Pickard (grandfather)
Rugby union career
Position(s) Blindside Flanker, Number 8
Current team Bath
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2011–2020 Bath Rugby 141 (85)
Correct as of 16 June 2022
Provincial / State sides
Years Team Apps (Points)
2006–2011 Western Province 65 (65)
Correct as of 16 June 2022
Super Rugby
Years Team Apps (Points)
2008–2011 Stormers 54 (20)
Correct as of 16 June 2022
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2010–2019
2014–2015		 South Africa
Springboks [lower-alpha 1]		 76
2		 (50)
(0)
Correct as of 16 June 2022

Early life

Louw was born in Cape Town and is the grandson of the former South African international Jan Pickard.[5] He attended Bishops College in Cape Town and studied rugby at the University of Stellenbosch.

Playing career

He represented the Stormers in Super Rugby, having made his debut during the 2008 season. He also played for Western Province in the Currie Cup. Louw was part of the Stormers team that lost the 2010 Super 14 Final to the Bulls.

On 12 July 2011 it was announced that Louw signed for Bath Rugby on a 3-year deal.[6]

International

Following the Super 14 season, Louw made his debut for South Africa against Wales at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. He played the entire game as South Africa won 34–31. Louw was selected for South Africa's next match, against France at his home ground, Newlands Stadium in Cape Town. Louw scored the last of five tries, helping South Africa to a 42–17 victory. After taking part in South Africa's victorious two-match series against Italy, including a try in the first Test, Louw made his Tri Nations debut in July 2010. It was the first time Louw experienced defeat as a Springbok, with New Zealand winning the game 32–12.

He has become a mainstay in the Springbok side, becoming the first choice openside flank under the reign of Heyneke Meyer. He had the second most turnovers won at the 2015 Rugby World Cup with 13.[7] He has also shown strong running and some skilful play. In 2013, against the All Blacks at Ellis Park, he made a strong run then an offload in the tackle to set up Bryan Habana for a try.

Louw was named in South Africa's squad for the 2019 Rugby World Cup.[8] South Africa won the tournament, defeating England in the final.[9]

Notes
  1. Louw played for South Africa in two non-test matches against World XVs in Cape Town in 2014 and 2015.[3][4]

References
  1. "SA Rugby Player Profile – Francois Louw". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  2. "Aviva Premiership Rugby". Bath Rugby web page. Premier Rugby. Archived from the original on 16 June 2012. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
  3. South African Rugby Annual 2015. South African Rugby Union. 2015. p. 104. ISBN 978-0-620-62087-1.
  4. South African Rugby Annual 2016. South African Rugby Union. 2016. pp. 124–125. ISBN 978-0-620-69290-8.
  5. "South Africa / Players & Officials / Francois Louw". Scrum. Retrieved 16 July 2010.
  6. "Bath Rugby : News : Louw commits to Bath Rugby". Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 14 July 2011.
  7. "Rugby World Cup". www.rugbyworldcup.com. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
  8. "South Africa World Cup squad: Siya Kolisi wins fitness battle, Eben Etzebeth backed, Aphiwe Dyantyi dropped". The Independent. 26 August 2019. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
  9. "England 12-32 South Africa: Springboks win World Cup for record-equalling third time". BBC. 2 November 2019. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.