FAN FAVOURITE Francois Hougaard has committed his future to Warriors by signing a three year contract with the club.
The highly-rated South African scrum-half arrived at Sixways on a short-term contract in February, but has made an emphatic impact in his first four appearances for Warriors, with the stand out performance being a try on his debut against Sale Sharks.
The 27-year-old joined Warriors following a spell with the South Africa Sevens side and will return to the Sevens circuit for this summer’s Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The livewire number nine will then report back to Sixways and becomes Dean Ryan’s sixth new signing ahead of the 2016/17 campaign.
“I haven’t been here long but I’ve become really fond of Worcester. It has a great vibe with good coffee shops and I enjoy walking along the river,” said the Springbok.
“I think the fans are amazing here and you can really notice them singing and chanting during games. There are also a great bunch of players here and they’ve helped to make the transition very smooth for me since coming from the South Africa Sevens.
“There are incredible facilities at the club and they have great ambitions which is something I’m really excited about being a part of. The long term goal is to take this club where they have never been. We want to create history.
“But for me now, it’s about taking every game as it comes,” he added.
Ryan said: “Francois has come in and had a huge influence on the side in such a short space of time.
“You can see the difference he has made to the squad and that comes from a wealth of experience from his time in Super Rugby and playing internationally.
“We’re delighted he’s decided to be a part of our journey and we hope he can be a catalyst for us moving forward.”