Deon Fourie: Veteran Springboks Star Suffers Another Unfortunate Injury
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.
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. 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.
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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 need victory in their final fixture to guarantee a home quarter-final.
Source: Briefly News
