Bokdle #17: 18 Oct 2026

The mystery green and gold player on 18 Oct 2026 was Francois Hougaard: Test player #807 · Scrum-half / Wing · 46 caps · 5 tries · School: Paul Roos Gymnasium.

Francois Hougaard was one of the quickest scrum-halves South Africa has produced, so quick that the Springboks often played him on the wing. Born in Paarl in April 1988, he went to Paul Roos Gymnasium in Stellenbosch and played a few games for Western Province in 2007 before moving north to the Bulls, where he spent eight seasons.

Finals and tries

Hougaard had a knack for the big stage. In the 2009 Currie Cup final he scored a try, wearing number 14, as the Blue Bulls beat the Free State Cheetahs 36–24, aged 21. A year later he scored again in the 2010 Super Rugby final, as the Bulls won the title.

A Springbok, at nine and on the wing

His Test debut came against Italy in November 2009. In the 2011 Super Rugby season he filled in at scrum-half for the injured Fourie du Preez and played well enough to earn a place at the 2011 World Cup. In New Zealand he scored off the bench against Wales and twice against Namibia, before the Springboks went out 11–9 to Australia in the quarter-final.

From 2012 the Springboks often used him on the wing, with Ruan Pienaar at nine. In October 2014 he scored in the famous 27–25 win over New Zealand at Ellis Park. He finished with 46 Tests and five tries.

Sevens, and a gesture at the Olympics

In 2015 he joined the South Africa Sevens squad for a season and travelled to the 2016 Rio Olympics as a reserve. He came onto the bench for the final day after Seabelo Senatla hurt his wrist and so earned a bronze medal, which he then gave to Senatla, saying his teammate deserved it more.

England

Hougaard moved to Worcester Warriors in 2016, scoring on debut, and played more than ninety games for them. He then joined Wasps, where he was made redundant when the club went into administration in 2022, before signing for Saracens in 2023.

Test record

From bokhist.com's Test-by-Test list:

• Springbok number: 807
• Debut: 21 November 2009, aged 21, off the bench against Italy at Stadio Friuli, Udine (won 32–10)
• Last Test: 16 September 2017, aged 29, at scrum-half against New Zealand at North Harbour Stadium, North Shore City (lost 0–57)
• Tests: 46: 27 starts and 19 off the bench
• Results: 27 wins, 3 draws and 16 losses, a winning rate of 59%
• Starts by position: scrum-half 16, left wing 8, right wing 3
• Most often played against: Australia (11 Tests)

Did you know?

• He won the 2009 Currie Cup and the 2010 Super Rugby title with the Bulls.

Sources: bokhist.com, en.wikipedia.org

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