Deon Fourie pleasantly 'surprised' by Springbok invitation

The versatile forward, who last played for the Boks in the 2023 World Cup final, was among 56 players based in South Africa who were called up by Rassie Erasmus for a two-day gathering in Cape Town last week.

Fourie had been sidelined with a knee injury since April of the previous year, which he sustained during an Champions Cup match against La Rochelle. He made his return to action in December with the Stormers.

Since then, Fourie has made seven appearances and is expected to play a pivotal role in the Stormers' two-week URC tour to Wales and Northern Ireland, where they will face Scarlets and Ulster, respectively.

Reflecting on the surprise call-up ahead of Saturday's match between the Stormers and Scarlets at Parc y Scarlets, Fourie admitted that he did not expect to be invited.

"It was quite a big surprise for me. We (the Stormers) had just landed in Johannesburg before the Lions game when the announcement came out. We were on the team bus, and I saw it," Fourie shared on Monday.

"I was really surprised to get that honour again, being invited to an alignment camp. It was fantastic to reconnect with everyone and hear about the plans moving forward."

"It reignited the fire in me, and I hope to remain part of the set-up this year."

At a recent Springbok press conference, Erasmus singled out the adaptable Fourie as an invaluable resource for the world champions.

"It's great to have someone like Deon available," the head coach said. "A guy like (Ireland legend) Johnny Sexton played until he was 38, and Deon is one of the older players who is probably in the best physical shape."

"I don't think Deon expects to play in eight Tests this year, but he understands that we can call on him if things don't go as planned or if no one performs outstandingly at hooker."

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