Francois Louw says he could not have wished for a better end to his Test career after calling it a day with the Springboks’ World Cup win.

Louw officially confirmed that last weekend’s World Cup final against England was his final game in Springbok colours. The 34-year-old ends his Test career having played 76 matches in the green and gold, starting 58 times for the Boks.

He played for the Springboks in the 2011, 2015 and 2019 World Cups, collecting 17 tournament appearances.

‘It does cap my career,’ Louw said after the World Cup final.  ‘It was officially my final game for South Africa – 76 games, 10 years, I couldn’t have asked for anything bigger, anything more special.

‘It was a very long road, a challenging road at times. We’ve had two very dark years in Springbok rugby history and to come back the way we did, to form a united team the way we did – a team that fully represents South Africa. To win a World Cup with that is something I will cherish for the rest of my life.’

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Louw had an underrated influence on the Springboks’ 2019 campaign. He was most often used off the bench as an impact player and made countless crucial turnovers when the Boks were under pressure in the closing stages of a game.

‘I got knocked out in a quarter-final in 2011, a semi-final in 2015, and I’m glad I didn’t get knocked out in a final,’ Louw added. ‘To win it is fantastic and it was a tough road after the start we had to our World Cup campaign [losing to New Zealand].

‘It was knockout rugby after that and it was tight against Wales. The guys approached this week with the right mindset, and things went our way.’

Photo: Steve Haag via HollywoodBets