Deon Fourie: Veteran Springbok Star Suffers Another Unfortunate Injury
- Veteran Springboks star Deon Fourie could be sidelined for the rest of the season after picking up another devastating injury
- The South African rugby international, who just returned from injury, picked up his fresh injury during the Stormers' tie with Ulster Rugby
- Fourie's recent injury sparked mixed reactions from rugby fans on social media, especially the Stormers supporters
Veteran Springboks loose forward Deon Fourie could miss the remainder of the Stormers’ campaign after picking up a knee injury during Friday night’s thrilling 38-38 URC draw against Ulster Rugby in Belfast.
Although the Stormers collected three valuable log points from the encounter, they slipped to second place on the United Rugby Championship standings with only one fixture left, an away clash against Cardiff Rugby in Wales on Friday.
Fourie suffers another unfortunate injury
The injury to the 39-year-old is a significant setback for the Cape outfit ahead of the knockout stages, with director of rugby John Dobson strongly criticising the dangerous clean-out that led to Fourie’s injury.
Fourie limped from the field within the first 12 minutes after attempting to continue playing following the incident. Ulster skipper Iain Henderson was initially shown a yellow card for the croc-roll at the breakdown, but the sanction was later upgraded to a red card upon review.
Dobson expressed his frustration after the match, saying he felt deeply for Fourie. He insisted the croc-roll technique must be eliminated from rugby, arguing that offenders should be dismissed for the full game.
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Dobson comments on Fourie's injury
According to Dobson, Fourie sustained damage to the medial ligaments in his knee, adding that no player can withstand that kind of contact repeatedly. He also warned that removing genuine breakdown contests from the sport would fundamentally change the nature of rugby.
While Dobson did not believe Henderson intentionally tried to injure Fourie, he admitted the incident dealt a huge blow to the Stormers, given the veteran’s excellent recent form. He also praised replacement forward Paul de Villiers for stepping up well after entering the contest.
Despite Fourie’s early departure, De Villiers made several key turnovers and is expected to play an important role for the Stormers heading into the final league match and the upcoming play-offs.
The Cape side now needs a victory in their final fixture to guarantee a home quarter-final.
Here is what fans are saying on social media concerning Fourie being tackled by Henderson.
Basil Augustus
The rules should change to, if you injured player, such as in this case, you should be out of the game as long as that player is on the injured list, and can only return when that player recovers.
Archie Quevedo
He just got out of injury, now this idiot sends him straight back in! 😒
Inus Izak Stephanus Venter
Intentional. How can there not be more severe punishments for these things? I mean, if he were to end Fourie's career tonight, what would happen? 10-week ban? Great... one career ended and a soft ban, see you next season.
Gordy Graham
Hope Fourie is ok, I think it was clumsy from Henderson rather than intentional but never nice to see someone go off injured.
Zaiv Geffen
Sadly..depending on the injury, this could be the end of his career...
Erasmus expresses confidence in squad depth
Briefly News also reported that Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus is confident in the team’s fly-half stocks, a position that once caused headaches ahead of the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
The coach reportedly said he was satisfied with the current depth, noting that the players offer flexibility depending on the game plan the team wants to implement.
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Source: Briefly News
