Hougaard seeks Olympic ink

Francois Hougaard is excited to make his Springbok Sevens debut in Dubai next week. Photo: Ryan Wilkisky, BackpagePix

Francois Hougaard is excited to make his Springbok Sevens debut in Dubai next week. Photo: Ryan Wilkisky, BackpagePix

Published Nov 27, 2015

Share

Francois Hougaard takes a lot of pride in his tattoos. In fact, he is probably the only top-class professional rugby player in South Africa who boasts two “sleeves” of ink on both of his arms.

When he walks around in a t-shirt, it doesn’t look as if he has any more space for another letter or a picture, let alone a word. However, if Hougaard makes the South African Sevens squad for next year’s Rio Olympics, he will try and find a place to get the iconic Olympic rings inked.

“If I make the Olympics, I’ll have to find a spot, we’ll see! But that is still a long way from now,” he said.

However, Hougaard will take the first step towards that goal next weekend in Dubai when he runs out for the Blitzboks in his first World Sevens Series tournament.

The former Bulls scrumhalf is the only member of the 12-man squad selected for the first two tournaments on the Sevens circuit in the Emirates and Cape Town who hasn’t played in a tournament.

And the fleet-footed 27-year-old, who has also played on the wing for the Springboks and the Bulls, is looking forward to the experience.

“It’s awesome to be selected for my first tournament. It’s actually amazing, because this group of guys really made me feel at home and it feels like I have been involved here for years,” he said.

“Just to make a 12-man squad is a huge honour, because the squad is so small. Having a group of over 30 players to pick from, it makes life difficult for the coach and I would hate to be in his position.

“Like I’ve said in previous interviews, it’s always been a dream of mine to play Sevens. What’s exciting for me is the space, and I have a chance to use my feet.”

Hougaard will play a sweeper role for the Blitzboks, which is similar to the role that a traditional scrumhalf plays on defence. But the big difference for Hougaard is that he will have to act as a hooker and throw the ball in at lineout time.

Of course, it’s not something that he is familiar with as he has been playing in the backline his whole life. However, he seems to be relishing the challenge.

“Sevens is a lot more technical and probably a lot harder than what people think. You are a lot more vulnerable, especially if you are not used to the systems,” Hougaard said.

“The lineouts have actually been going really well. It’s been actually one of the things we have been focusing on, and putting extra hard work in.

“I’m used to scrumhalf passing and repetition, I have never had to throw a ball into a lineout.

“It’s a different experience and it’s not easy. It’s something that you have to get right, otherwise it’s going to be like a bad pass.

“I just have to put in the work, we have been training every day and it’s been going pretty well.”

It’s been difficult, though, for a 15-man star like Hougaard to adjust to the sometimes brutal training regime that the Blitzboks follow at their base camp in Stellenbosch, which regularly enjoys temperatures in the mid-to-late 30 degrees Celcius this time of the year.

He has definitely shed a few kilos over the last few weeks, and it seems like he is getting used to running around again on his old Paul Roos Gimnasium training ground, where he first made a name for himself as a schoolboy.

“When you have a full day here, it’s a 6am start and there’s a 20-minute break. When you work, you really work hard. We have had a few high-altitude cycling sessions, while wrestling is also a big part of the training because of the close contact and the strength that you have to have,” Hougaard said.

“The message from the coach, and the vibe they want to bring across here, is work ethic, and hard work is at the top of the list.

“I don’t think you can hide in the system because you are seven guys.

“But you don’t want to hide, because you are here working towards a goal, and I want to be here because I deserve it, and not because I had a name in 15s or played for the Springboks.”

Hopefully for Hougaard, the hard work will not only be showcased with a tattoo, but an Olympic gold medal as well.

[email protected]

@JohnGoliath82

Related Topics: