Springboks call up evergreen utility forward Fourie for All Blacks series

Aug 10 : South Africa have recalled 39-year-old utility forward Deon Fourie for Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series against New Zealand, almost three years after he starred in the 12-11 final win at the 2023 Rugby World Cup against the All Blacks.

Fourie, who can cover both hooker and loose-forward, has not played a test since coming on early in Paris following an injury to Bongi Mbonambi, but was excellent for the Stormers in their 38-21 defeat by New Zealand on Friday.

That match was his first back from long-term injury and his work-rate drew praise from Stormers coach John Dobson.          

"An incredible performance for a guy who’s again coming back from a serious injury. He’s almost 40. He made three tackles in 15 seconds, and two of them were try-saving," Dobson told reporters.

The Springboks play New Zealand in three home tests starting on August 22 in Johannesburg, with a fourth in Baltimore in the United States.