Veteran Deon Fourie turned back the clock with a strong performance against the Bulls on Saturday at Loftus Versfeld.
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Veteran Stormers forward Deon Fourie rolled back the years with a fiery display in the 32-19 United Rugby Championship (URC) victory over the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld, showing that even at 39 he still has plenty left to offer.
The World Cup winner delivered an influential shift during his 36 minutes on the field, disrupting the Bulls’ possession at the breakdown and repeatedly halting their momentum. Fourie also made several big tackles and played a key role in stopping the rolling maul of the famed Bulls pack.
Turning back the clock with a vintage performance, Fourie absorbed a few heavy knocks along the way — moments that would likely have had director of rugby John Dobson holding his breath on the sidelines.
After he helped to turn the tide in favour of the Stormers, the visibly exhausted Fourie was ready to take a seat on the bench before half-time. It initially looked as though he had suffered another injury after spoiling a powerful Bulls rolling maul, but Dobson later revealed that Fourie’s early exit had nothing to do with a knock.
“Deon subbed himself, really, he did,” the Stormers mentor said with a laugh.
“I can tell you; it’s a funny story. After playing 30 odd minutes, he told us, ‘I am coming off, it’s either you sub me or I walk off and it is going to embarrass you’. But what a spell from a guy who has been out for so long, I can’t praise the leaders of this team enough.”
Fourie has endured a brutal two-year cycle of injuries that threatened to end his career before he was ready. He spent the past few months waiting for a return to the field, only for his comeback to be delayed again. Eventually, last week he was named in the starting XV for the crucial North-South derby in Pretoria.
With Paul de Villiers performing superbly in Fourie’s absence as the Stormers’ fetcher, there were questions over whether the veteran should instead have been used off the bench. However, Dobson generally allows returning players to start and empty their tanks for as long as possible. That is exactly what Fourie did before deciding himself that it was time for a well-earned breather.
“It helped that no one gave us a chance to come win here, people had written us off after those losses and we knew we were better than that. Rugby is so emotional,” Dobson added.