Francois Louw of Bath during the Premiership Rugby match against Gloucester at Kingsholm Stadium in Gloucester on 4 January 2020.
Springbok flank Francois Louw on Saturday shared a heartfelt farewell message to mark his final day as a professional rugby player.
Register your interest for the British & Irish Lions tickets in South Africa 2021
The sports-disrupting impact of Covid-19 has taken a toll on veteran loose forward as he retires without the opportunity for a proper swansong match for English club Bath.
“Today marks my final day as a pro rugby player. No final swansong game or fairy tale farewell but that is not what I will remember. I have the memories of this adventure with me forever and I will look back every day with my heart full and content. Thank you for being part of that,” the 35-year-old wrote on Twitter.
Louw has been a popular and yeoman-serving figure at the English Premiership club since 2011, including stints as captain.
He quit Test rugby after the 2019 World Cup in Japan – having earned a winner’s medal from it, and a total of 76 Springbok caps – and then revealed earlier this year that this would also be his final campaign (2019/20) for Bath.
Before joining Bath in 2011, Louw represented Western Province and the Stormers in South Africa.
Today marks my final day as a pro rugby player. No final swan-song game or fairytale farewell but that is not what I will remember. I have the memories of this adventure with me forever & I will look back everyday with my heart full & content. Thank you for being part of that.
— Francois Louw (@FloLouw) June 20, 2020
– Compiled by Sport24 staff
