Deon Fourie to become the oldest-ever Springbok debutant
- 8906
Stormers' veteran Deon Fourie is in line to become the oldest-ever Springbok debutant this weekend against Wales.
The 35-year-old earned his call up to the Springbok squad after an outstanding United Rugby Championship season as he helped the Stormers win the inaugural title.
He produced a man-of-the-match performance in the final against the Bulls, which was also his 100th game for the Stormers.
According to Sunday newspaper Rapport, Jacques Nienaber and Rassie Erasmus are considering using Deon Fourie and Kwagga Smith off the bench for the first of three Tests against Wales this weekend.
The pair are breakdown specialists, with Fourie winning a competition high of 24 turnovers in the URC, suggesting that the Springboks are looking to blitz the breakdown in the latter stages of the match, with Malcolm Marx also expected to feature from the bench.
"Kwagga and Deon offer us more or less the same as what Kwagga and Marco van Staden offered us in the Rugby Championship last year," Nienaber told Rapport .
"If you want to make something special happen and bring about reverse ball possession, like Francois Louw in the World Cup semi-final against Wales, you have two players in Kwagga and Deon to make it happen. They can come up with magic the day before."
With Duane Vermeulen missing the Series, Jasper Wiese will likely fill the no.8 jumper in the first test match, with Evan Roos and Elrigh Louw the uncapped options in the squad.
The likely Springbok squad to face Wales on Saturday:
- Ox Nche
- Bongi Mbonambi
- Trevor Nyakane
- Eben Etzebeth
- Lood de Jager
- Siya Kolisi (c)
- Pieter-Steph du Toit
- Jasper Wiese
- Faf de Klerk
- Handre Pollard
- Makazole Mapimpi
- Damian de Allende
- Lukhanyo Am
- Cheslin Kolbe
- Willie Le Roux
Replacements (16-23): Malcolm Marx, Steven Kitshoff, Frans Malherbe, Franco Mostert, Kwagga Smith, Deon Fourie, Herschel Jantjies, and Damian Willemse.
