The return of Hougie to the Bulls...

https://www.rugbypass.com/news/francois-hougaard-linked-to-blue-bulls/

He is 32 years, which is pretty old for a backline player. 

A small winger playing at scrumhalf, with limited kicking ability. 

On a hard fast pitch like in Super Rugby, he is very good on attack, but his Achilles heel has always been clearing the ball from a slow ruck. (e.g. Northern Hemisphere). 

Meyer dropped him after his disaster at the base of the ruck ensured a loss to Ireland, and then Alister Coetzee repeated the same error. Alister Coetzee later said that Hougaard does not have the technical specialist ability for a scrumhalf at test level. 

SB

I saw Hougaard playing for Worcester in their game against Sale Sharks ad he was one of the better performers  of Worcester in that game on Saturday.   

I agree with you as to his non=selection for the national team and also that he is not an all-round scrummie.   However, if Coetzee says anything about a player then it will be wise to beleive the opposite of what he comes up with.

The Bulls is unlikely to use him as a scrummie - they have Papier and Van Zyl whoa re adequate on provincial level, but maybe  White wants him in the upcoming series involving four SA teams and 12 NH teams.             

Dave 

I am sure White has a huge budget to contract players with the ownership of the club resting in the hands of two of the richest people in SA,    They both gave  R1 billion in helping small businesses  struggling because of the Chinese virus and they have Schalk Brits  in their employ to look after their rugby interests.    

WP is totally buggered up as a franchise and will be under Administration sooner rather than later, so the players like Willemse and Mbonambi will leave them soon.    Do you know that Rupert's sister went around and found promising schoolboys and paid for their education and subsistence,  Both Willemse and Jantjies - the scrummie -were in her program and both retains close links with the Rupert family.    So the Bulls will have the backing to get the two players you mentioned,  And the Bulls needs a better flyhalf than they have at present,  Smit is OK - Steyn not at all.           

"A small winger playing at scrumhalf, with limited kicking ability."

Welcome to the post-ELV Southern hemisphere scrum half. You forget the lack of passing. That said, he was near the top end of the pool of these 9s. He was only criticised so severely because he was a Bull. For things he often never did, like the flack he took in place of Fouché.

Kindergarten Imbecile

Hougaard is not even under nay consideratioon for the Springbok team and  low down on the list of scrummies that could potentially be used by the Springboks.   He is as low as your hero Steyn is  on that list.    The latter will never see the Bulls team when  Goosen returns, 

Have you ever been right on any player?    Never seems to be the case that I can remember,                  

Goosen? The mythical non entity? Old man Steyn has already comprehensively outgunned him. Not the tense regarding Hougaard Lügnerin. You really need to learn to read. 

Kindergarten Imbecile/Oxygen thief

There is a huge difference between Morne Steyn  and  Goosen.    They both went to France and Stade Francais soon found out he was totally useless and a liability when it came to Rugby,   He consequently became their bench flyhalf  and even if he came on for 10 minutes  there were games in which he cost then dearly.    The club just before Meyer turned up as coach  would not renew his contract and he found other suckers to sign a contract with him - Brive was saved from utter embarrassment when  Meyer became the coach is Stade Francais and he persuaded them to resign  Morne.   We all know now what happened them,    Meyer was fired by Stade for being grossly incompetent and on the same plane back to SA was Mmrne and Alberts.

Goose went to play for Racing  Metro and in 2016 he was French Top 14 Player of the Year,  RM then offered him a contract renewal at a vastly increased salary,     However, Goosen buggered up when  Harlequins  made him a much higher offer.  and breached his contract with RM.    In the end Montpellier paid RM Euro 1,5 million damages so they could employ Goosen.

So that is where the issue stands at present .   Goosen appa rently  decided not to renew his contract with Montpellier,  

Get the difference between the two players at flyhalf - oxygen thief?                     

Goosen is ten times better? When and where? I have all of his tests and the entire 2012 Super rugby season on disk. Make my day Saffy. 

Kindergarten Imbecile 

There is a huge difference between Morne and Goosen.   Goosen is a flyhalf in the full sense of the word - Morne is a kicking dummy with poor defense and non-existent decision-making abili ty to boot. 

Morne was in my book only good for one thing - kicking accurately at poles and 100% defective in out-of-hand kicking - making BS  aimless and off-target kicks frequently.   

The worst flyhalf I have ever seen playing for the Springboks.    

Ja, Goosen problem has always been that he makes poor decisions off the field. 

Don't forget that when he won the French top 14 player of the year he was actually operating at 13. 

He is super gifted and I always had great hope for him but I guess with a combination of poor boy coaches. Meyer and Coetzee and then his own poor choices and especially in the way that he conducted himself at Racing. It is only a matter of time that this catches up with him. 

Not to mention that he shot his friend in the leg with a hunting rifle. I'm not sure if this kid actually has any brains, but definitely has great instincts on a rugby field. 

Lets hope and see what White can squeeze out of him the bulls. 

But, France is also getting fed-up with SA players and there is a current wave to get rid of them. There has also been made tons of accusations around steroids misuse etc. 

28 - 29 is still a good age. Not sure I would pick him for the lions but lets see if he can get back on the radar and maybe make the World Cup in 2023. Should be about 32 / 33 which is not to old for an international flyhallf