Stormers' Deon Fourie ready to prove doubters wrong at Loftus after 'turning odometer back'

For Stormers and Springboks legend Deon Fourie, the last 24 months have been an arduous cycle of injury, surgery, rehabilitation, and fleeting returns to the field.

This Saturday, the man affectionately known as "Brannas" finally gets to the “lekker” part of the cycle again when he steps back into the arena for a massive United Rugby Championship North-South derby against the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld (2pm kick-off).

Fourie’s journey back to the match-day 23 has been a test of mental fortitude that would have broken lesser athletes. Since a major ACL injury two years ago, the veteran flanker has been haunted by a string of setbacks.

After coming back from that knee injury, he played four matches before picking up an ankle injury. He then suffered a serious bicep injury against the Scarlets at the start of the season in his first game back. It was a setback that had him in tears.

Rugby World Cup winner Fourie, who turns 40 in September, had thoughts of hanging up his boots after that latest injury setback. Having played five games in two years, it was tough to see him coming back motivated to get on the park again.

However, the warrior — who played 76 minutes of the 2023 Rugby World Cup final at hooker with a buggered shoulder — doesn’t want to go quietly into the night. In fact, he feels the last two years off the park may have just turned his odometer back.

"The last injury, especially, was quite tough for me," Fourie told reporters on a steaming Cape Town day on Wednesday.

"A lot of emotions, a lot of questions were running through my mind. But my motto is always to prove people wrong, so I’ll keep pushing myself to do that. In two years I’ve only played about five games, so maybe my age will turn back two years; I’m only 38 now!" he joked.

There is perhaps no more fitting stage for a Fourie comeback than Pretoria. The rivalry between the Stormers and the Bulls is etched into Fourie’s DNA, and the veteran thrives on the unique intensity of the fixture, having played one of his best-ever games in the 2022 URC final between the teams, which catapulted him into the Springbok conversation ahead of the last World Cup.

Fourie unwittingly dropped some hints that he may actually start the encounter, referring to current openside incumbent, Paul de Villiers, as a player who can close out the game when he comes off.

"It’s always special. Playing against the Bulls, all the history involved ... it’s a great game to come back for. It gets the best out of everyone," Fourie said.

While the emotional stakes are high for Fourie, the physical challenge will be daunting. The Stormers have been preparing in 40-degree heat this week, and the altitude of the Highveld adds another layer of difficulty for a player lacking match sharpness. However, Fourie remains pragmatic.

“Game fitness and running fitness are not the same. But we’ll see. Luckily we’ve got class players on the bench who can step in and do even better,” Fourie said, possibly referring to De Villiers.

Mentally, the challenge is to ignore memories of previous breakdowns over the last two years. Fourie admits that when the team sheet was announced, the primary thought was simply getting through the game unscathed. However, the first hit should settle some of the nerves.

"I won’t lie to you, that’s the first thing that got into my mind," he said.

"But I’ve learned through 20 years of my career that if you make the first contact, everything goes out the window and you just go on with your job. Whatever is going to happen now will happen on the field."