This past week Willie le Roux posted a farewell message to his Japan club, and his next move will be watched with interest.
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The veteran fullback has enjoyed an extensive and illustrious career in Japan, but according to Sunday newspaper Rapport, a coach at the Stormers has confirmed there are talks underway to assess the possibility of him joining the Cape side.
Although nothing has been signed yet, Le Roux does have connections to the Western Cape. He was raised in Strand and is a graduate of Paul Roos Gymnasium in Stellenbosch, while it’s believed that he has invested in property near Paarl, where he would be closer to family.
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Other speculation has suggested Le Roux could be moving to another Japanese club, or perhaps return to Wasps in order to try and help them win promotion back to the English Premiership.
“I’d like to thank the staff and my teammates for an epic four years,” the 33-year-old wrote on Twitter in his farewell message to Verblitz, “and to our wonderful fans for always being so supportive. I appreciate the opportunity to have represented such a great team. Arigato (Thank you).”
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South African fans will hope to see Le Roux perhaps return to Mzansi, with the stalwart having previously spoken of his desire to play for the Stormers at some point in his career.
“I always wanted to play for the Stormers, to be honest,” he told former Bok captain Jean de Villiers on the Use It or Lose It webshow. “Growing up in Strand, I always went with my dad to Newlands.
“I always wanted to play for the Stormers, but never got the opportunity. I was in the larger pre-season squad in 2010. I played a game in pre-season against Maties. I played flyhalf at that time and that was my last game in the Province gear then I went back to Boland.”
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Willie le Roux will have a key role to play for the Springboks this year
Beyond the career changes taking place at club level for the utility back, Le Roux is set for a big year on the international stage.
There is probably a two-player shootout for the coveted Springboks fullback berth. Damian Willemse started the 2022 season at fullback, and looked set to make the position his own before an injury to Handre Pollard saw him shifted to flyhalf.
Willemse is certainly a strong option at fullback, while Le Roux was highly influential in most Tests he played last year, and could be the best man for the job at the high-pressure World Cup.
It will be very interesting to see if the Springboks turn back to experienced Handre Pollard as their first-choice flyhalf after he recovered from injury. If that were the case, it would lead to a very tricky selection when it comes to determining whether Willemse or Le Roux should be the starting fullback.
Back-up options will be provided by Kurt-Lee Arendse, Cheslin Kolbe and possibly Frans Steyn if he recovers from injury.
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Busy season beckons for Boks
The Springboks will kick off a bumper 2023 season against Australia in July in the opening round of the shortened Rugby Championship, which will officially signal the start of the matchday build-up to the 2023 World Cup.
South Africa will launch their Rugby World Cup title defence on Sunday, 10 September, against Scotland in Marseille, which will be followed by pool matches against Romania in Bordeaux (17 September), Ireland in Paris (23 September) and Tonga in Marseille (1 October).
The Rugby World Cup quarter-finals will be played on the weekend of 14/15 October, with the semi-finals on 20/21 October and the final on Saturday, 28 October.
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