In the modern era of professional rugby, conventional wisdom dictates that a player’s peak physical years are firmly behind them by their mid-thirties. Try telling that to Deon Fourie.
At 39 years old, the Springbok utility forward is not just surviving at the highest level of the game; he is actively redefining longevity. Following his impactful performance in the Springboks' hard-fought 33-26 victory over New Zealand in Cape Town, scrum guru Daan Human have poured praise on the ageless warrior.
Fourie, who made history as the oldest player to ever pull on the green and gold jersey, received a surprise late promotion to the starting lineup in Cape Town after Erasmus famously swapped his front row right before kick-off. Getting 35 minutes of intense action on the pitch before making way for Malcolm Marx, Fourie proved exactly why he remains central to the world champions' plans.
Speaking to the media on Tuesday ahead of the third Test at FNB Stadium in Soweto, Springbok scrum coach Daan Human dismissed any talk of the veteran nearing the end of the road.
“The thing about him is, although he hasn’t played a lot of Test matches in his life [14], he’s not 40 yet; he’s 39. I’m just saying, there’s still a long way to go!” Human told the media with a laugh.
Human said that Fourie's decades of experience across the pack are exactly what the Springboks need when facing high-pressure, elite international opposition.
“But anyway, I think in these Test matches we need to have a lot of experience, which he has," Human explained. "He played from a very young age at hooker and flanker. So he’s able to handle these kinds of situations, as he did in the World Cup final for us. He’s on form, he’s a big, big competitor and he’s one of the strongest scrummagers in South Africa.”
Human was unwavering in his technical assessment of the Stormers veteran, revealing just how much weight the coaching staff places on his capabilities at the set-piece.
“That’s how highly I rate him. Otherwise I would never have put up my hand to say, ‘Listen, we should pick this guy.’”
As Fourie approaches his 40th birthday on September 25, his fairytale comeback from a career-threatening knee injury continues to inspire domestic and international fans alike.
Having been named on the replacements bench to provide cover for Malcolm Marx in Soweto, the ageless utility forward will once again be counted on to bring his signature grit and dark arts to the front row. For Human and the Springbok coaching staff, having a competitor of Fourie’s durable strength ensures that South Africa's set-piece dominance remains the absolute gold standard of world rugby.