Scotland star Josh Strauss has confirmed a short-term deal with French Top 14 side Stade Francais following his omission from the Rugby World Cup squad.
Having made his international debut for Scotland in 2015 the South African made what could be his last appearance for the national side last Saturday when he came off the bench against Georgia before being left out of Gregor Townsend’s squad.
The 32-year-old has wasted no time dwelling
on his omission and has been unveiled as a World Cup joker for Stade Francais
on what is a minimum three-month contract.
“This challenge is really exciting in this period of the World Cup. It’s a great opportunity in my career and in my life. Everything happened very quickly. I had to make a quick decision and I’m very happy to be here. I already worked with Heyneke Meyer and I already know some players in the team. I’m very happy to join the Stade Francais Paris,” he said.
The club’s head coach Heyneke Meyer is
delighted to have Strauss on board to bring experience in while others are in
Japan.
“We have several absentees in our squad following injuries or players selected for the World Cup. We have therefore been looking for an experienced profile to overcome the youth of our group. Josh has played for the Scottish national team, has a lot of experience, but most of all, he’s going to give us his leadership. I’m glad he joins the club,” he said.
It will be interesting to see where Strauss
ends up after his short-term deal whether he stays on in France or heads
somewhere else but what also remains to be seen is if he will play for Scotland
again in the future.
