Francois Hougaard commits future to Worcester

As expected, Worcester Warriors have secured the signature of South African scrum-half Francois Hougaard on a permanent contract.
The 27-year-old, who won 35 Springboks caps, arrived at Sixways on a short-term deal in February 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.
In just four appearances for the Warriors, the Springbok Test star has made quite the impact, notching a try in an impressive debut in the win over Sale Sharks and being named man-of-the-match in a crucial victory at Newcastle earlier this month.
He said: “I haven’t been here long but I’ve become really fond of Worcester.
“There are incredible facilities and the Club have great ambitions which is something I’m really excited about being a part of.
“There are a great bunch of players here and they’ve made the transition very smooth since coming from South Africa Sevens.
“Now my aim is to help drive Warriors up the Aviva Premiership table and to achieve our long-term goal of becoming a top European side.”
Director of Rugby Dean Ryan added: “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.”