Cape Town - These days, it takes a “day or two longer” for Deon Fourie to recover from putting his head into those dark spaces at the breakdowns.
But it proved to be worth all the effort for the Stormers openside flank last Saturday at Cape Town Stadium, as he produced a man-of-the-match performance in the 20-10 United Rugby Championship victory over the Sharks.
Fourie, now 35, led Western Province to the Currie Cup title in 2012 with an epic win over the Sharks in Durban, and was part of a successful period at the Stormers under Allister Coetzee, where they reached the final in 2010 and the playoffs on a number of occasions.
Now back in Cape Town after spending seven years in France at Lyon and then Grenoble, Fourie – who was first a hooker before shifting to the loose trio – felt that he had a point to prove last weekend, after he was yellow-carded and conceded several penalties in the previous week’s 22-22 draw at Kings Park.
“I was disappointed in myself a bit in the weekend before against the Sharks in Durban – I think I got a bit too hot under the collar! And I wanted to give more to the team this past weekend,” Fourie said.
“I just wanted to bring a positive thing into the team, and I disappointed myself in that. My focus was just to bring back what I am good at, and fortunately that happened this weekend. Hopefully we can keep doing that, week-in and week-out.”
Stormers forwards coach Rito Hlungwani – who also played alongside Fourie as a lock – praised the veteran fetcher for his contribution to the team.
“Funnily enough, we were both born in Limpopo, our schools were close by to each other … So, we always got along really well as players. Deon was a very good hooker, and then he slotted into flank – I think he used to struggle with his throws back then! I used to give him a hard time! He can still throw, by the way,” Hlungwani said.
“It’s very nice to have Deon still playing, with all his experience. He has played for quite a number of teams here and in France, and it’s nice to have an extra person to keep the standards up in training, and the guys enjoy having him around. He doesn’t just talk, but also puts in the work, so he is a very good example for the younger guys.”
But after a memorable win over the Springbok-laden Sharks, the Stormers will travel to Johannesburg this weekend for Saturday’s clash against the Lions at Ellis Park (3pm kickoff). The Capetonians have a bit of a score to settle with the Gauteng outfit after losing 37-19 at home in December.
Fourie’s battle with Lions opposite number Jaco Kriel is sure to be one of the highlights of the encounter.
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“He’s an old veteran and played overseas as well, and he is a Springbok. As soon as you go into one-on-one battles, you go off programme. But we will try to stick to our structure and game plan, with a bit more focus on him, because he is good on the ground as well and carries hard,” Fourie said about Kriel.
“It’s going to be tough, especially in Joburg at three ’o clock on a summer’s day at altitude as well! But all the guys have gone through that and know what to expect.”
Meanwhile, on the injury front, Hlungwani said that injured trio Evan Roos, Salmaan Moerat and Frans Malherbe were still out of action, but centre Dan du Plessis trained yesterday after sustaining an ankle injury against the Sharks.