‘I never got a chance to prove myself’
19 Nov 2010
England’s South African-born-flank Hendré Fourie wants to make a statement against the Boks, writes GAVIN MORTIMER in SA Rugby magazine.
You know Hendré Fourie is well on his way to becoming a fully-fledged Englishman when he starts salivating at the mention of fish and chips and Yorkshire puddings. And he’s also partial to a pint of warm beer.
It’s been five years since the 31-year-old Fourie packed his bags and headed to England, taking up the offer of a part-time contract with Rotherham, a Yorkshire club then in Division One. Two years later he joined Leeds – becoming a full-time professional in the process – and what has happened since has been, in Fourie’s own words, ‘a fairytale’. He was first selected for the England A team in February 2010 and his ball carrying and fierce defence then earned him a call-up to the senior squad for the June tour to Australia and New Zealand.
‘It was a complete shock,’ admits Fourie. ‘Me and the missus had gone to the cinema in the evening and halfway during the film I saw my phone flashing. I didn’t answer it because I didn’t want to disturb people but I looked at the number and didn’t recognise it. As we left the cinema I said to my wife, “What are the chances it’s [England manager] Martin Johnson?” Then I listened to the message and it was him, congratulating me on making the England squad.’
Unfortunately for Fourie things didn’t quite go according to plan once in Australia. A niggling calf injury flared up during the first game – England’s 28-28 draw with the Australian Barbarians – and he was replaced at half-time to play no further part in the tour. But it wasn’t all doom and gloom.
‘I probably played some of the best rugby I’ve ever played in that first half against the Baa-Baas,’ he says.
Johnson clearly agreed with Fourie’s assessment because when he announced his 32-man elite playing squad in July, Fourie had made the cut. He won his first Test cap against New Zealand two weeks ago, and nothing would give him greater pleasure than to line up against the Springboks next Saturday.
‘That would be special,’ he says with a laugh. ‘And if I could be involved in scoring the winning try it would be even better as it would show South Africa they were wrong to let me go.’
The words are spoken in jest but one senses that Fourie, by nature a cheerful, easy-going man, stills feels the bitter pang of rejection by South Africa. Born in Burgersdorp and educated at Free State University, he played for Shimlas before representing the Free State Cheetahs in the Vodacom Cup. When he missed out on selection for the Vodacom Cup squad in 2005, Fourie decided to try his luck in England.
Reflecting on that difficult period of his life (Fourie considered quitting rugby and putting his degree in software development to better use), he says: ‘I think South Africa could improve the way they go about identifying talent at an early age. I appreciate that there’s a vast pool of talent in the country but I feel I never got a chance to prove myself and I know there were many others like me.’
Fourie’s other disadvantage was his size. At 1.83m and 108kg he’s not the biggest flanker in world rugby and though the likes of Neil Back, George Smith and Serge Betsen have all proved to be world-class openside flankers, the tradition in South Africa is to select players who are 1.90m plus.
‘When I left school I was told I wasn’t big enough to play flank,’ Fourie explains. ‘So I spent three years as a hooker. Eventually in about 2002 I reverted to playing flank but there’s definitely a trend in South Africa to pick big opensiders. I was delighted to see Heinrich Brüssow break through last season and show what he can do despite being smaller than me [Brüssow is 1.81m and 105kg].’
At Leeds Fourie has come under the wing of one of the great opensiders of recent times, Neil Back, another small man but one whose heart lacks nothing in size. Nor does his brain, and already Fourie says he’s learnt a great deal from the 66-Test veteran.
‘He’s done so much to improve my game,’ Fourie says. ‘He gives me small tips, little things you might not think are that important, but they are and they’ve made me so much better as a player. But it’s also his advice on my lifestyle – from what I eat to how I prepare for games – that has helped.’
The respect is mutual and at the start of the English Premiership season Back declared that he was expecting great things from Fourie this year.
‘For me, Hendré was the standout openside flanker in the Premiership last season,’ says Back. ‘He was doing everything slightly better than some great players in the Premiership … if he plays as well as he can this season, he can get that starting role with England.’
Far from heaping pressure on Fourie’s shoulders, the assessment has given him a greater incentive to force his way into the England team.
‘When a player like Neil Back says that about you it can only give you a boost because if he believes it, you must be doing something right. I certainly believe I can do it [play for England]; my armoury is good enough and if I play well for Leeds every week I don’t see why I can’t play for England. It should be the ambition of every player to be No 1 in his position and I’m no different.’
When Fourie returned home from the cinema with Johnson’s message still ringing in his ears, one of the first things he did was phone his dad in South Africa.
‘He was so proud he was almost in tears,’ recalls Fourie. ‘All my family have been supportive of me and when I was back in South Africa in July for a few weeks my friends were congratulating me. I’ve had nothing but positive feedback.’
It’s unlikely that Fourie’s dad will make it to Twickenham in November (getting a visa at short notice is difficult – even for the father of an international rugby player) so he’ll have to content himself with watching the matches on TV. But Fourie believes his dad will see an England side coming to the boil just in time for next year’s World Cup.
‘The balance of youth and experience is now there in the squad,’ says Fourie. ‘Martin Johnson has shown faith in the players and that’s given us the confidence to go out there and play the way we can. If players feel they have the support of the coach it makes them much more secure and that will show in the way they play.’
England’s results on their mid-year tour to Australia and New Zealand were mixed: played five, won two, drew one, lost two, but the most significant result was the 21-20 victory in the second Test against Australia, only their third Test win Down Under in 47 years of trying.
‘I wasn’t surprised by the win,’ says Fourie, ‘because even though we’d lost the first Test there was a positive attitude running through the squad and we knew it was just a question of making the odd tweak here and there.’
England’s win against the Wallabies was more than South Africa managed in Australia in this year’s Tri-Nations, but Fourie doesn’t believe that there’s too much wrong with the Springboks.
‘I wouldn’t be too worried,’ he says. ‘The margins in Test rugby are so narrow that one missed tackle – as happened against New Zealand [in Soweto] – and the game is lost. South Africa beat New Zealand three times in 2009 and this time it’s the other way round.’
Fourie has been impressed by what he’s seen of the All Blacks this season, though a wry smile escapes his lips as he lavishes praise on Richie McCaw and his boys.
‘They have been awesome, haven’t they? But then they were like this the year before the previous World Cup and then they faded come the tournament. It’s all looking a little bit familiar.’
As befits a man of Fourie’s positive outlook, he’s quite happy to state that he has every intention of playing in next year’s World Cup – particularly as his family would have time to get visas – but he knows there’s a lot of work to be done between now and then. First he needs to get a good season under his belt at Leeds, one of the Premiership’s smallest clubs in terms of finance and resources. This year they’ll be bolstered by the presence of one of John Smit’s great adversaries, England’s World Cup-winning hooker Steve Thompson, and at lock there’s the formidable bulk of Marco Wentzel, the former Blue Bull.
‘Marco is the best lineout technician I’ve ever seen,’ says Fourie. ‘Last year he got the most steals in the Premiership and the work he puts into organising attack and defence moves in the lineout is amazing.’
The calf injury that forced Fourie’s withdrawal from the tour to Australia has been fixed and he’s eager to impress now that the season has started. The English winter is already on its way so it won’t be long before Fourie’s knee deep in mud in the teeth of a raging gale. All a long way from his days playing for the Cheetahs, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. After all, Bloemfontein’s not known for the quality of its Yorkshire puddings …
– This article first appeared in the November issue of SA Rugby magazine. The December issue is on sale next week.
76 Comments
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19 Nov 2010, 17:50 pm
@poppa69(poppa69) : 50. Ja, you got that right little Hobbit.
19 Nov 2010, 17:57 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game) : oh no, Sour One is back
19 Nov 2010, 18:04 pm
@poppa69(poppa69) : Sour one? lol. You gotta love it when you chaps just get a little bit back of what you give, and then the resultant “snot en trane”…
Vatso Katvis
19 Nov 2010, 18:08 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game) : hehehe you’d be lost without us HG…
its my service to the under-priviliged
19 Nov 2010, 18:18 pm
@poppa69(poppa69) : lol. Likewise – similar to a missionary educating the savages
19 Nov 2010, 18:23 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game) : stalemate? just to let you think youre doing ok
19 Nov 2010, 18:48 pm
@poppa69(poppa69) : lol. Stalemate? Never, not until after the fat lady sings or WC 2011 – the Boks are sitting pretty, under the radar while SBW mania takes off and England are convincing themselves they are World champs already in competiton with the AB’s.
On the home straight and if you had a choice who you going to bet on: The front runner or the chap tucked in behind…?
The Boks just need a backline coach other than TrickyDicky…
I know you would say and get rid of the “clown” too, but he is there to stay no matter what the results – and sure in many other top rugger nations he would have recieved his DCM (dont come monday) after this year’s results – however in effect he has become a political appointment.
Another problem is that he seems not to have the power to hire or fire assistants – which could be have been a blessing for a non-merit incompetent appointment with great assistants, but clearly DickMuir is doing nothing for the backline and the Bok offence…
Anyway, we shall see… But enjoy the front running possy… until roundabout Oct 2011
19 Nov 2010, 19:00 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game) : sitting pretty? not so sure mate, everyone seems to think the returning players are going to be the panacea SA needs… (FDP, Brussouw etc).. lets not forget the capitan… its in his contract
but Brussouw may suffer second season blues, Matfield and co will be another year older, very risky IMO. you have to keep evolving as a team, not sure you guys have achieved that this year…
NZ, while suffering in 2009, I think it may have been a blessing really. We had to blood new players, but have had the luxury of the extra year to assess who can step up and who couldnt…a trick I think your management team have actually missed out on…is it something like 6 tests until the cup actually starts?
as well as not being able to fire his assistants, it seems no one is willing to join him in any case… so think PDV is in a no-win situation myself.
and in gambling parlance, always bet on black..
19 Nov 2010, 19:03 pm
@poppa69(poppa69) : 58. And green is “house wins”…
Vatso Katvis
19 Nov 2010, 19:19 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game) : hehe
come on mate, catch up… the boks will be staying in hicksville (hamilton for the uninitiated) , theyll be fed by Hinemoa personally, nothing like a boil up, watch out for the special ingredient..
then we’ll have a special group of kiwis sitting outside their 1 story hotel in hicksville tooting horns (is a vuvuzela just one of P3s extra karge straws??? )..
and of course
POB and the minions as well..
and thats without mentioning your coaching staff, if SA can win the WC with all the conspiracies happening, then I’ll tip my hat to them…
but they better bring their flu medications, just in case
eish bok befocked alright..
19 Nov 2010, 19:35 pm
@poppa69(poppa69) : I will rather be the Boks coach at this stage than Henry. The All Blacks wont gain as much by winning as they will lose by not winning. That creates extra pressure. Ask the Proteas in the 2003 Cricket World Cup.
Everyone thought it was their time. They were the chokers of World Cricket. They were at home. They were one of the favourites. They ckoked yet again.
If you are favourites then being at home creates more pressure than ever and the ABs will not be able to handle it.
19 Nov 2010, 19:37 pm
@Taahirah(Taahirah) : potential world class **** face…
pienaar,steyn,meyer(was playing great at the time)
19 Nov 2010, 19:39 pm
I think he makes a good point. We do have a predisposition to players of a certain size. It is very unlikely that players like George Smith or Neil Back would ever have played international rugby had they been South African. Not to mention players like Shane Williams. Yes we do produce plenty of players in the mold we prefer but maybe that is why we have become so predictable.
19 Nov 2010, 19:51 pm
@Horings(Horings) : theres always pressure on the ABs, no matter where they are playing… the legacy means it is so…
Youd rather be PDV? what has PDV learnt this year about his team? e.g playing Kirchner at 13? how is that helping build your team for next year? will kirchner ever play 13 again?
and its only due to injury that Habana has been stood aside… personal milestones are counter-productive to the team environment…Habs should have been stood down 4 tests ago, basically to put a rocket under his @rse to see if he could respond…
one only has to look at PDVs substitutions? does that really instill you with confidence?
19 Nov 2010, 19:52 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game) : So, once he established himself in English Rugby did he put his hand up for SA duty? No? Then he’s a turncoat.
As someone raised in Natal with a British Passport from Birth i would never play for England if i was playing in England earning a more than decent living….
19 Nov 2010, 19:54 pm
@Taahirah(Taahirah) : btw: i said k n o b face , dont know why it censored me?
19 Nov 2010, 20:04 pm
@Oxy moron(cjgrove) : You got to be joking.
You been listening to the new sports m(s)inister?
Any working white male in the RSA (and rugby is his job) would be crazy not to take the payday!!
Bollocks I say and good luck to him…..
19 Nov 2010, 20:24 pm
@Falken(Falken) :
these days, it probably does. The Boks are not a great side at all. Haven’t been for the vast majority of the last three years. So lets not get on our high horse, especially seeing as England look set to dish out a mighty snotklaap to the Boks.
19 Nov 2010, 20:25 pm
@poppa69(poppa69) : That is why I want to be coach.
To be honest. The World Cup is not that difficult to win. It is just ver important. We just have to win two games in succession and to do that I will back the master of Finals Fourie du Preez to steer the ship.
He will win the World Cup for us in a windy, wet Semi and Final where our pragmatic approach will be the savior. The Boks will struggle to beat almost every team they come across, but in the end their blueprint to win Finals will be enough.
19 Nov 2010, 20:44 pm
@Horings(Horings) : and if FDP is re-injured? then who will steer the ship? Morne isnt capable of it, and will PDV stick with Hougie or will he instil Januarie?
your reliance on FDP is as bad as our reliance on Carter… the backups just dont cut it, a concern for both sides..
19 Nov 2010, 20:45 pm
@Horings(Horings) :
I disagree with this. No team has ever waltzed through a final unprepared, and no team ever will, in any sport! We look set to follow in the foot steps of the 99 Boks, only this time we are much inferior to them. What are our strengths, we can’t even do properly. And if the WC is so easy to win, then why has NZ not won it since 87? Ask any international coach and they’ll tell you that the WC is the biggest challenge. It’s the toughest competition to win by far, there is nothing like the pressure and intensity of a WC. The TNs and S14 are next best, but are not even close. This has come from the mouths of people like McQueen, Jones, England’s WC winning coach, you name it. de Villiers doesn’t have a clue exactly what awaits him, if he is panicking under the pressure of the EOYT, then he will implode under the pressure of the WC. It is easy to sit here and dictate how easy it is to win a WC, far, far more difficult to actually go out there and do it.
19 Nov 2010, 20:51 pm
@Alucard(Alucard) : A big part of winning the RWC is strategy and that means solid coaching team.
Current three don’t have the feel of RWC winning coaches.
19 Nov 2010, 21:34 pm
@poppa69(poppa69) : That is a fact, Fourie du Preez is our only backline player with the tactical brilliance of a Carter. I am glad you are also honest with yourself mentioning Carter.
@Alucard(Alucard) : It is true what you are saying. I hope Smit is a “tour” captain for the WC. Sitting next to Pdivvy if (no when) he loses the plot.
What do you think will Pieter do tomorrow?
20 Nov 2010, 07:40 am
Wouldn’t it be funny if he gets the winning try for England against South Africa just like Brad Barritt against the ‘Boks’ last year…
20 Nov 2010, 14:24 pm
@Alucard(Alucard) :
Jake White developed his talent for winning tournaments by winning an under 21 World Championship.
PdV has won an under 19 and an under 21 World Championship.
We’ve kept our heads in two very close and tough games while we have 15+ players injured. For a make shift team the current squad is doing very well.
Our depth means we’re in a good position for next year’s World Cup.
Now imagine NZ lose McCaw or Carter before the tournament. They’d be in deep ****
20 Nov 2010, 15:05 pm
Some people give the impression he has a resentment towards SA! Different from KP he definitely doesn’t seem to have any…
He didn’t make it, was convinced to go and play in England where he worked even harder to proof himself.
Just sound like a success story. Yeah, he came through in the Jake White era where only size counted, and he had to make a choice, which he did and it worked.
Congrats.
Dammit. Would have been a nice competition if he could have gone up against Brussow next week. But the World Cup is around the corner.
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