Francois Hougaard facts for kids

Francois Hougaard, born on 6 April 1988, is a talented South African professional rugby player. He is known for playing as a scrum-half, which is like the quarterback of a rugby team. He can also play as a wing, a fast player on the side of the field.

Playing for Rugby Clubs

Francois Hougaard started his professional rugby journey in South Africa. He played for Western Province in 2007. After that, he joined the Blue Bulls, a team based in Pretoria. He spent eight seasons with them. During this time, he played in the Currie Cup and also for the Bulls in the Super Rugby competition.

Winning the Currie Cup

In 2009, when he was just 21 years old, Hougaard helped his team win the Currie Cup final. He was the youngest player in the starting team. He even scored a try in that important match. A try is like a touchdown in American football, worth points.

Playing for the Bulls

In the 2011 Super Rugby season, Hougaard showed how good he was. He played as a scrum-half, which he said was his favourite position. His great performance helped him get a spot in the Springbok World Cup Squad for the 2011 tournament. Before playing professionally, he went to Paul Roos Gymnasium school.

Moving to England

In 2016, Hougaard moved to England to play for the Worcester Warriors. He quickly made an impact, scoring a try in his first game. He also had a "man-of-the-match" performance in another game, meaning he was the best player on the field. He signed a permanent contract with the Warriors but was also allowed to play for the South African Sevens team at the 2016 Summer Olympics.

After playing for Worcester Warriors, Hougaard joined another English team, Wasps, for the 2021–22 season. Unfortunately, the Wasps team faced financial problems in October 2022. This meant that all the players and coaches, including Hougaard, lost their jobs.

Playing for South Africa

Francois Hougaard also played for the national South African rugby team, known as the Springboks. He represented them between 2009 and 2014. Later, in 2015, he joined the South African Sevens team, also known as the Blitzboks. Rugby sevens is a faster version of rugby with fewer players.

Early International Games

His first tour with the Springboks was in late 2009. He played in one test match against Italy and two other touring games. He helped his team win both the Currie Cup in 2009 and the Super Rugby title in 2010. He scored tries in both of these finals.

Rugby World Cup 2011

At the 2011 Rugby World Cup, Hougaard was chosen to be part of the Springbok squad. He came off the bench in South Africa's first match against Wales and scored a try. He also started in a game against Namibia, where he scored two tries. South Africa was eventually knocked out of the tournament by Australia.

Playing Sevens Rugby

In 2015, Hougaard signed a contract to play for the Blitzboks in the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series. He played in several tournaments and even scored the winning try in a playoff game at the Dubai Sevens.

Olympic Bronze Medal

Hougaard was part of the South African Sevens team that won a bronze medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. He was initially a reserve player. However, when a teammate got injured, Hougaard was included in the team for the final day of the tournament. After winning the bronze medal, Hougaard showed great sportsmanship. He offered his medal to his injured teammate, saying that his teammate deserved it more.

See also

In Spanish: Francois Hougaard para niños