Deon Fourie has been called into the Springbok squad after a commanding 61-minute performance for the Stormers against the All Blacks in Cape Town on Friday. The 39-year-old joined the squad in Johannesburg on Tuesday morning ahead of the opening Test of Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series at Ellis Park on August 22.
Fourie scored a try, won a game-high two turnovers and made 14 tackles — missing just one — as the Stormers pushed New Zealand to 14-14 before going down 38-21. Stormers director of rugby John Dobson was emphatic in his praise. "He made three tackles in 15 seconds, and two of them were try-saving. He's almost 40 — Deon is remarkable."
It will be Fourie's first squad involvement since coming off the bench to play hooker for 77 minutes in the 2023 World Cup final against the same opponents. In the intervening period he has battled through a serious knee injury, an ankle problem, a bicep tear and knee ligament damage sustained against Ulster in May.
Rassie Erasmus confirmed the squad will not be trimmed ahead of the series opener, instead opting to increase numbers. "New Zealand are touring with 44, so we would rather add more guys to get to 44. Nobody has to be cut," he said. The current group of approximately 41 combines the 26 who toured Argentina with 15 players based in South Africa.
Erasmus acknowledged the attack needs sharpening after the Argentina series, noting that managing returning injury cases through 80 minutes had affected fluency, while pointing to the team's discipline as a positive to build on.