Wasps Rugby Football Club, the English Premiership outfit based in Coventry, England, has announced that Springbok Willie le Roux will leave the club at the end of the season.
The Premiership ends in April and Le Roux will be returning to South Africa to join a local franchise to stay in shape for the Springboks' World Cup campaign which kicks off in mid-September.
It is not known which local Super Rugby franchise will snap up Le Roux, but speculation is rife that after the World Cup he is likely to continue his career in Japan
Wasps Director of Rugby Dai Young said: “It’s always disappointing to lose players of such quality but this is a professional sport and it isn’t much you can do about it.
“Willie joined Wasps at a time when he wasn’t a part of the Springboks side and since making the move here, he has rediscovered his form and shown that he is a world-class player which in turn has seen him restored to the national side, going on to make over 50 appearances.
"We’d like to place our thanks on record to Willie for his great service to the club over the past two-and-a-half seasons.”
Le Roux said: “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time at Wasps and would like to thank everyone involved with the Club for their support. I’ll continue to give my all until the end of the season in the Black and Gold.”
African News Agency