SOUTH African international Francois Hougaard is focused on using his experience in sevens rugby to make a ‘positive’ difference to the tail end of Warriors’ campaign.
The 27-year-old is already becoming a fans’ favourite, scoring a try on his debut appearance in the win against Sale Sharks on Saturday having joined last week following a spell with the Springboks’ Sevens team.
Hougaard, who is primarily a scrum-half but can also play on the wing, believes he can use the speed and space of the sevens game to provide the club with a fresh burst of energy needed to lift them up the Aviva Premiership table.
“It’s been a dream start to my time here and I think I’ve adapted well having played in Australia and New Zealand in the Sevens just three weeks ago and Dubai in December,” said the half-back.
“Now I have a period in the the UK to focus on. But that’s just the life of a professional rugby player, being able to experience different cultures and meet new challenges.
“I prefer scrum-half as during the 2011 World Cup I focused on playing at number nine and decided to make it my prime position.
“Sevens rugby is a totally different game as it teaches you to work with space and speeds up the match.
“While playing I still focused a lot on kicking and passing as I knew I would return to being a part of a squad of 15. Hopefully I can implement the energy of sevens rugby with the Warriors.
“I know the Aviva Premiership is very tough like the Super Rugby league back home. There isn’t many weak competitions around nowadays.
“I’ve seen a few of Worcester’s games and they’ve been pretty close. They’re a brilliant side and have been unlucky with close games getting away from them. I’m just excited to join the guys on the pitch now and help the club move forward.”
The Springbok is now one of six South African players in the current squad, joining up with skipper GJ van Velze, Dean Hammond, Dewald Potgieter, Wynand Olivier and Nick Schonert.
“I feel quite at home with the number of South Africans the squad has. I’ve played with GJ, Dewald and Wynand during my time at the Bulls and we’re all close mates,” said Hougaard.
“They’ve made it easy for me to settle in and feel comfortable.”