Bath legend Francois Louw has not ruled out extending his career at Bath, but has revealed a move to Major League Rugby in America looks increasingly likely.
The Springbok World Cup-winner told The Rugby Paper: “This is my final contract year at Bath and I’m not 100 per cent sure where I’m heading or what my future plans are.
🗣 "It would have been easy to quit"
— The Rugby Paper (@TheRugbyPaper) February 20, 2020
Francois Louw talks Bath, MLR and Springbokshttps://t.co/mxW8vDFCQQ
“Once rugby is done, the plan is to go into the financial sector and I’m trying to put things in place for a smooth transition.
“I’ve done trips to America over the last few years to have a look at MLR, specifically New York, Colorado, San Diego and Seattle. I’ve had chats there and it’s an exciting tournament that’s been started up and there’s no doubt it will become a decent sized one.
“If anything happens in America it usually happens on a big scale and they’ve made some big signings in Mathieu Bastareaud (New York), Ma’a Nonu (San Diego) and Tendai ‘The Beast’ Mtawarira (Washington).
” There’s a buzz going on there and it’s exciting because rugby is a game that needs to constantly grow, especially in North America.”
Take a look at who South African international Francois Louw has picked in his all-time Dream Team for Bath.co.uk.
Francois Louw’s all-time XV:
1. OS DU RANDT
Os du Randt spent the majority of his career in his native South Africa. He made 80 appearances for the Springboks and was part of the 1995 World Cup winning squad. His final appearance for South Africa came in the 2007 World Cup final, which they also won – making him the only South African to have two World Cup winners’ medals.
2. KEITH WOOD
With over 50 caps for Ireland, Wood played on the 1997 and 2001 Lions tours, and was the inaugural winner of the World Rugby Player of the Year award in 2001.Embed from Getty Images
3. CARL HAYMAN
Hayman won 45 New Zealand caps with his staggering power, which would live long in the memory of adoring fans. He spent three years at Newcastle Falcons before joining Toulon, where he won three consecutive European titles.
4. PAUL O’CONNELL
Second-row Paul O’Connell is Munster through and through, and won 108 caps for Ireland from 2002 to 2015. O’Connell made 218 appearances for Munster, scoring 95 points. He featured in the 2005, 2009, and 2013 British and Irish Lions Tours, captaining the side in 2009.
5. VICTOR MATFIELD
No rugby player has played more for South Africa than Victor Matfield, who was arguably the best lock in the world during his decade playing Test rugby. Matfield appeared in three World Cups and earned numerous accolades through his consistently strong performances at all levels of the game. He was also a very strong leader and captained the Springboks many times.Embed from Getty Images