Hougaard in the hot seat
16 Jan 2012
RYAN VREDE reports that Francois Hougaard will be the Bulls’ first-choice scrumhalf and he is acutely aware of the massive expectation on him to succeed Fourie du Preez.
Hougaard was recruited from Western Province in late 2007 with the intention of grooming him to replace Du Preez. However, such was his talent that the Bulls’ senior players urged the coaching staff to accommodate him at wing, where he made telling contributions.
However, with Du Preez having ended a career in Pretoria – one in which he became the fulcrum around which the Bulls revolved – for a stint with Japanese side Suntory Goliath, Hougaard will get the extended run in the position he considers his best.
‘Coach Frans [Ludeke] has told me I’m the number one scrumhalf for the season,’ Hougaard told keo.co.za. ‘It is the chance I’ve been waiting for for some time and I know Fourie’s shadow will loom until I establish myself as a worthy successor.
‘That said, I’m a different player to him, more combative and robust than tactical and technical. He worked hard with me on the tactical side of things when he was still here but he always encouraged me to be my own man. That’s what I intend to do.’
The Bulls are well stocked in the scrumhalf department with the highly competent Jano Vermaak having signed in late 2011. Vermaak is set to be given a run against lesser opponents, at which time Hougaard may revert to the wing.
‘I enjoyed my time out wide. I understood the planning around me being played there and was prepared to bide my time,’ Hougaard explained. ‘Now I’m set on playing in my preferred position and showing why I think I’m a better scrumhalf than a winger. I’m open to being used on the wing from time to time, but I see myself as a No 9 and the coaches have backed me in that position.’
Hougaard appealed for patience before making absolute judgements on his suitability for the role. ‘To expect immediate success is unrealistic,’ Hougaard offered. ‘I haven’t played regularly at scrumhalf for some time. It will take some getting used to. That said I have high expectations of myself and understand my importance in the context of the team’s success. I can’t take forever to settle. There is no room for that in Super Rugby. You’ll be exposed and the pressure will snowball. But I love the challenge. I feel alive.’
He added that his ultimate goal was to surpass Du Preez’s feats at Test level. ‘I want to be the best scrumhalf in world rugby. To get there I will have to at the very least meet the standard Fourie set,’ Hougaard said. ‘But the game will evolve to a level that will probably require me to go past that standard. It’s a big challenge but I wouldn’t be able to settle for a mediocre goal.’
Read the in-depth feature with Hougaard in the current edition of SA Rugby magazine.
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174 Comments
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16 Jan 2012, 10:45 am
this guy is no wilting dragon.
take note ruan…take note…
16 Jan 2012, 10:53 am
Great Athlete, one of the quickest cleaners of ruck ball in world rugby, but his tactical work can still improve.
For me the no 1 scrumhalf in SA at the moment.
16 Jan 2012, 10:56 am
as long as he is over mimicking FdP and learn to develop his own game based on his own strengths. he is a sure winner. good footballer!
16 Jan 2012, 10:58 am
He won’t have the same impact at 9, I’ll leave him on the wing, but think he will be a bloody good 13 – running off Frans Steyn.
I’ll give Sarel or Ruan the 9 jersey. We are very short on good scrumhalves applying their trait in SA.
16 Jan 2012, 11:08 am
Well he should become the #1 scrumhalf to replace FdP, his competition is not up to test standard. Good luck Hougie, there is noone stopping you.
16 Jan 2012, 11:14 am
I will follow his progress at 9 with keen interest.
16 Jan 2012, 11:16 am
Victor Matfield’s latest tweet:
VictorMatfield Victor Matfield
Did 35km on the bicycle today and doing 70km before church tomorrow morning. Maybe a comeback is in sight. Lol. He he
16 Jan 2012, 11:19 am
Vermaak is better – if he can stay un injured , he will challenge this year for a Bok spot
16 Jan 2012, 11:21 am
Hougaard is closer to a Joost type of scrumhalf than a Fourie du Preez, in my view.
Brilliant runner with the ball, low centre of gravity and good pace and acceleration for a scrumhalf, and tough as nails defender.
But I don’t think he is close to Du Preez as a tactical player. But he may get closer as he develops in his role.
Still, I expect him to have greater impact getting us over the advantage line with his individual brilliance, than setting his outside backs up with his strategic vision.
16 Jan 2012, 11:22 am
@Taahirah-7: Go write another book Victor – this time on BMT
16 Jan 2012, 11:27 am
@stew-10:
Vic is certainly well qualified to write such a book, true.
Captain of 3 S14 winning teams.
Captain of 3 Currie Cup winning teams.
British Lions series winner
Two time Tri Nations winner
Man of the Match in winning World Cup final.
Yup. I’d say he knows a thing or two about BMT.
16 Jan 2012, 11:33 am
Who is the Sports Ilustrated Rugby journalist? Cause he knows f-all about Rugby, that’s for sure:
Rob Houwing, Sport24 chief writer
Cape Town – The Sharks, rather than last year’s best-performing South African franchise the Stormers, represent South Africa’s best chance of success in the 2012 Super Rugby season.
That is according to the latest (February) edition of Sports Illustrated magazine, which is heavily themed toward the southern hemisphere competition starting next month.
SI has the Sharks finishing second on the overall log behind the Crusaders, last season’s runners-up and the top side in the Super Rugby history, and thus winning the SA conference.
It tips the Stormers, last year’s domestic conference winners and eventually beaten semi-finalists, to end fifth overall and as conference runners-up, thus qualifying again for the playoffs as the only other South African team to do so.
According to the magazine, the rebuilding Bulls will end seventh, just outside the playoffs, cash-strapped Currie Cup champions the Lions 11th and the Cheetahs 12th.
“The Sharks have all the personnel, skills and smarts a team could wish for. Now they just need the belief,” SI said.
It cited favourable aspects for the Sharks like the fact that they don’t meet the Crusaders on the pre-playoff calendar this season, and will play defending champions the Reds at home.
In slightly downgrading the Stormers this year, the magazine said: “They have the goods to take top (conference) spot if they fire on all cylinders, but when they backfire, they do so spectacularly.”
On a broader level, as the tournament faces a record-length year marked by a three-week break for Test rugby, it quoted SARU chief executive Jurie Roux as admitting that the schedule was “challenging not only from a player point of view but also because we have the incoming English tour in the middle of the Super Rugby competition which makes selling both quite tricky”.
He added: “It’s certainly easier to handle the promotion of one tournament at a time. The Test window will put added pressure on the new Bok coach because he’ll have hardly any time to work with the players before the first England Test.”
16 Jan 2012, 11:37 am
@Tacitus-12:
Pre-season bet has me also backing the Sharks as our best bet – maybe not #2 but #3 on the log. I am very interested who they will pick as captain though.
Personally I will also switch the Bulls and Stormers around in this article as well as the Cheetahs and Lions.
16 Jan 2012, 11:39 am
@Morné-13:
I would put the Stormers around mid table and the Sharks significantly better than that. But definitely not 2nd on the overall log.
As for the Bulls – somewhere between the Stormers and the Sharks. Second in the SA conference.
16 Jan 2012, 11:41 am
@Tacitus-14:
Remember Sharks only need to win SA conference to end #3 on the log…
I think they will do that.
16 Jan 2012, 11:42 am
@Morné-15:
That’s why I give them 3rd spot. But this is not one of the stronger Sharks squads of the last 5 years. I don’t see them ending ahead of any of the other conference winners.
16 Jan 2012, 11:45 am
@Tacitus-16:
Agree, me neither, they might have problems at lock, and their captaincy is an issue for me. I have a feeling Bismarck will be made captain.
Stormers to end around 8th or 9th, and I actually have the Bulls to sneak into the play-offs ending strong in the competition.
16 Jan 2012, 11:50 am
@Tacitus-9:
The one advantage of Hougaard at 9 is that it’ll allow whoever plays 10 to take on the tactical/decision making role.
16 Jan 2012, 11:51 am
@Tacitus-12: here is something i found in my email archives…
Sharks will fly SA flag
This entry was posted on Thursday, February 12th, 2009 at 10:33 am
In his first weekly newsletter, Keo explains why the Stormers won’t live up to the hype this season.
To receive Keo’s newsletter, subscribe for FREE at the Keo’s Corner section on the home page. The newsletter will only be e-mailed to subscribers from next week.
I’m picking the Stormers to do the usual in 2009, which is to give a hint of why so many believe they will go all the way this season, but then to implode before the semi-finals. Anything less than a top four represents a failure but once again we find ourselves in Slaapstad expecting so much of a franchise that realistically has never done anything but boast the best support base in the competition’s history.
Already there’s been too much cleverness from within the Stormers ranks. Selecting Nick Koster as a winger is doing his development as a loose forward no good. It is not in the interest of the player and if I was Koster I’d be on the first plane to Durban where his skills as one of the country’s most promising loose forwards would be improved.
The Sharks, on balance, are an outstanding side and John Plumtree commands respect as a coach because his actions say much more than his words. Some coaches talk a great game, while Plumtree is from the school that prefers others to do the talking based on achievement of the team.
I’ve never liked the Sharks because I’ve never liked Durban and Durban has never liked me. There is no mountain and there is no loyalty from their rugby supporters when times are tough. You only have to do a check on crowd attendance in a poor season and compare it to when the Sharks are competing for a home semi-final. At least down in Mountain Goat country 35 000 still come out whether the Stormers are playing for the wooden spoon or missing out on a semi-final by points differential.
But because I don’t like the Sharks doesn’t mean I’m not picking them to be the best of the South African sides. Of course they are but to win the competition they have to be hosting a semi-final. Can they do it? To quote someone familiar with the Durbanites, there’s the lovely line of Bob the Builder … ‘Yes we can!’
the Sharks in 2009 didn’t even make the playoff and it has been a downward spiral with 6th as their consistent position, yet we’re told by their fans that they’re “Easily the best South African franchise this year. They should comfortably top the SA conference.
16 Jan 2012, 12:02 pm
Heck I like this kid and his attitude…
Will be great to see him establish himself as the best No 9 in world rugby.
Hope he doesn’t lose his attitude and proves as effective at 9 over 85 minutes as he is on the wing for 20 minutes…!!!
16 Jan 2012, 12:10 pm
@Transformation-19:
hehehe
16 Jan 2012, 12:15 pm
@Transformation-19:
What is your point?
That Keo agrees with the SI journalist? That Keo doesn’t like the Sharks?
Or that the SI journalist’s prediction is backed by other journalists?
16 Jan 2012, 12:24 pm
bulls backs are going to have some serious speed this season.
the front 5 will be pretty settled albeit the locks haven’t played much superrugby together.
very excited about the backrowers coming through.
So long as we’ve done work on protecting and recycling our ruck ball quick and clean, we should be okay.
I would not put it beyond the realm of possibility that the Bulls win the whole shebang.
the youngsters coming through don’t look the sort that need a couple seasons to settle, they look mature enough.
16 Jan 2012, 12:28 pm
@Morné-17: Bismarck the captain – talk about a sinking ship …………… but still better than the nothing player Keegan.
16 Jan 2012, 12:29 pm
Might as well give Jano back to the Lions then.
16 Jan 2012, 12:30 pm
@>^..^< katman-25:
nah, he’s gatvol finishing last and wondering if he’ll get paid this week.
16 Jan 2012, 12:33 pm
@Brigadier Van Zyl-26: well this season his season his gat will be vol of splinters … sitting on that bench.
16 Jan 2012, 12:34 pm
@>^..^< katman-25:
You won’t be able to play your first choice player more than 10-12 full games out of the 16 pool matches.
That means you must be able to rotate. Having Jano there means we can start Hougaard at 9 in about 8 games, start him at wing in a couple, and rest him completely or have him as impact player on the bench for the 6 remaining games.
To succeed in this S15 you must be able to do that in virtually every position.
16 Jan 2012, 12:36 pm
@RL-27:
but at least he’ll get paid for it.
16 Jan 2012, 12:38 pm
@Brigadier Van Zyl-23:
i honestly cannot say yet and will see out a few games first before making predictions about a possible win, but i do think they could be there or thereabouts.
@RL-24:
bismack does not seem cerebral enough, but ja, keagan is short of everything needed.
16 Jan 2012, 12:57 pm
@Tacitus-22: look closely, that was the 2009 prediction, and the sharks didn’t even make the playoffs. last year it was the same “sharks this, sharks that” and they finished 6th but yet again the journos don’t seem to see the sharks as the under-achievers that they are.
16 Jan 2012, 13:00 pm
@RL-24:
For a ‘nothing’ Keegan Daniel has forced 26 turnovers in Super 15 2011 to Bismark’s 22. Not bad for a nothing.
I hope Keegan continues his nothingness in 2012.
16 Jan 2012, 13:03 pm
Keegan is captain of the Sharks for the 2012 S15 with Bismark as his deputy.
16 Jan 2012, 13:04 pm
Sharks definitely the favourites this year (again)
16 Jan 2012, 13:07 pm
@John Galt-33:
I have seen no confirmation.
16 Jan 2012, 13:08 pm
Don’t know what it is about The Sharks but they always seem to be a favourite with journalists and rugby pundits.
16 Jan 2012, 13:12 pm
@au revoir mon tout noirs, au revoir…-30:
I think Daniel has tactical shortcomings which can be taught and gained by experience.
But one thing he is not short of and which cannot be taught is the ability to lead by example.
There is no one in SA who punches above his weight and puts his body on the line as much as Daniel in my opinion. If the Sharks players follow this example only, they will have half the battle won already.
Apparently he was the unanamous choice as voted by the Sharks players themselves.
16 Jan 2012, 13:12 pm
@Morné-35:
Its on the Sharks website.
16 Jan 2012, 13:17 pm
@The Last Outpost of the British Empire-32: where did you get those made-up crooked stats from? Have you been speaking to Bruce in Oz?
Actually Bruces database does not even have Daniels name there.
16 Jan 2012, 13:21 pm
The Lions will knock over a number of the more fancied SA franchises during the course of the season – and the Bulls are not excluded from this danger.
So too will the Cheetahs.
So once again, these two unions, while not contenders themselves, will be kingmakers in a very real sense.
I expect the SA conference to once again be very competitive, and result in a conference winner that does not achieve one of the sought after top two positions.
16 Jan 2012, 13:25 pm
@Tacitus-40: True. I think our division is most likely the most competitive of the 3.
16 Jan 2012, 13:27 pm
@RL-39:
Nee wat dis die waarheid. Kyk in jou “SA Rugby”.
16 Jan 2012, 13:29 pm
@Tacitus-40:
Exactly why I dont think any SA side will do particularly well this season.
It’ll be a great building year for some franchises but I still think our conference will take too much out of the players.
It’ll be the usual case of SA sides knocking 7 shades of k ak out of each other for local bragging rights and then rolling over at the end of the season and playoffs.
16 Jan 2012, 13:42 pm
@John Galt-38:
Thanks John!
16 Jan 2012, 13:54 pm
@John Galt-37: Daniel’s biggest shortcoming is his size, not his ability. 94kg is just not big enough for a professional forward.
While admirable, a blindside flanker at that level should not be needing to punch above his weight, and at 188cm tall there is no reason he should not be able to put on 10kg of muscle during an off season.
I am surprised that in a country that prides itself on big forward packs, no coach seems to have pointed this out to him yet.
16 Jan 2012, 13:59 pm
@John Galt-37:
look, he’s a good player and decent’ish seeming bloke but at the end of the day thats just what he is – a guy punching above his weight, and this can only take you so far.
i’ve told this story before but i’ll tell it again, he reminds me of a guy i knew as a laaitie who was a midget and who everyone said had domkrag because he won one or two fights against bigger boys (who were not the best of fighters, mind you). yet, in truth thats all he was really…a guy who had won one or two fights against bigger boys.
if he had to go up against a real vegter who was his size and/or bigger he would have gotten behoorlik opgefok.
and this is the unfortunate same for keagan, when he comes up against bigger, heavier and more accomplished players he will be found out for the midget that he is who gets lucky against one or two players… and not a guy with domkrag who can take all comers.
just my two cents…
16 Jan 2012, 14:07 pm
@au revoir mon tout noirs, au revoir…-46:
Brussow’s 1.81cm and Daniel’s 1.88cm, yet Rattel is 104kg’s and Daniels only 94kg’s and Brussow’s got more mongrel.
16 Jan 2012, 14:13 pm
@Jeraldjay-47:
exactly.
he of course, certainly is a guy who i would say has domkrag.
16 Jan 2012, 14:15 pm
Late to the party but FdP has been a shadow the player upto 2009, that rotator injury finished his tackling ability and I guess the fact he got by on tactics is a massive achievment. There are no doubts in my mind that FH will be up to the task.
If Gert is the coach, pls no Shalk as capt …. rather Juan with Mossie VC. The rest cant be asured of their spots imo.
16 Jan 2012, 14:16 pm
@au revoir mon tout noirs, au revoir…-48:
The ouens that threw shotput at school.
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