Flouw rips through the blue...

I managed to catch up with another mate of ours here at BlogSpotRugby this week, Francois Louw, or ‘Flo’ as he is more commonly known here in the Western Cape. Flo has had a strong season so far in this years Currie Cup, after coming back from a mid-term injury, picked up in the later stages of the Super 14.

Francois Louw is perhaps one of the most underrated loose forwards in the country, often not getting enough credit for his high work rate on the field. Standing at 190 cm tall, and weighing in at 109 Kgs, Flo is by no means a small man. He has exceptional handling skills, is a strong ball carrier and contests extremely well at the breakdown. He is quite simply the complete package as far as loose forwards go.

Here it goes:

• Dooley: You come from a famous rugby background, with your grandfather being former Springbok great, Jan Pickard. Does growing up around mentors like him help to create an environment that helps you to excel at a professional level?

Flo: It’s a great honour for me to have had a grandfather like him. Unfortunately he passed away when I was 13, so I never quite did have the conversations with him that I would’ve liked. Non the less his reputation precedes him. He was a great man and did a lot for WP rugby as well as SA rugby. He was a great rugby player and is obviously an inspiration to me and I hope I can make him proud.

• Dooley: After a pretty dismal S14 campaign, WP have really proved their critics wrong this year by manning up in the tight five department. Do you think the departure of Chris Jack will effect this, or does WP have the depth to carry it through to the end?

Flo:The boys have really pulled together nicely this season, especially the tight 5. Having a guy like Chris Jack in the team was a great asset but he also brought a lot of experience to the team environment, which a lot of the guys fed off. I believe we have depth to carry on. He will be missed but with boys like De Kok Steenkamp and Martin Miller coming through and proving to be great future prospects, we should be good to go.

• Dooley: WP are currently in good standing on the log and with the exception of the Lions, WP have played all of their tougher games. What is the general message going up against some of the smaller unions. Is the team after 5 point wins to secure a spot in the semis?

Flo:Well I wouldn’t quite say that. This weekend we are up against the Griquas, which are 3rd on the log right now and trailing closely behind us. 5 points in all the remaining games is vital. Not just do we want to secure a semi but also a home semi. If all goes to plan and the Sharks make one slip up, we’ll move to first.

• Dooley: You have had a pretty outstanding season so far. What aspirations do you have for the future? Is that green and gold strip in the back of your mind somewhere?

Flo: Thanks for the complement! Haha! Things have been going well. I have recently come back from a 15 week injury, after injuring my ankle the night before the Brumbies game in Canberra at a training session. I have to give credit to the boys though. It makes a huge difference playing off front foot ball. Who knows what the future holds…

• Dooley: You are a Maties man, what’s your favourite watering hole in the ‘Bosch?

Flo: Ha! Well lets just say I’ve had many a good night at the Terrace. On tap all night, what else can I say.

Francois Louw has recently started his own blog, check it out at FrancoisLouw.com. You can also access it through our “Links” section on the right of your  screen.

For all you Twitter buffs, follow @FloLouw to check out what Francois Louw has to say.