40 YEARS YOUNG: Brannas’ versatility gives Stormers valuable extra option

Deon Fourie believes it is wrong to blame only the hooker for lineout malfunctions, but just in case some people fall into what he would consider to be “that trap”, his presence at a DHL Stormers online press conference on Monday should have been reassuring to the club’s fans. 

While it was off the back of a phenomenal performance as an openside flanker in the tour game against the All Blacks that the now 40-year-old - he passed that magical milestone within the last fortnight - propelled himself back into the Springbok conversation and then into the squad, let’s not forget he wore the No 2 jersey against those opponents on his return to the starting team.

That was, in fact, in his last game at the DHL Stadium, in the second test of the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series. If you can play hooker for the Boks, you can surely play there for the Stormers, which is certainly an intriguing prospect that has become more topical in the wake of the lineout woes at Edinburgh’s Hive Stadium that effectively cost the Stormers the game.

“You need to go and look at the whole system and plan (in the lineouts) before apportioning blame,” said Fourie when asked if he felt sympathy for Vernon Paulo, the recruit from the Free State who was called upon to play from the early minutes against Edinburgh because regular hooker Andre-Hugo Venter had to leave the field because of a head injury protocol.

“It’s a bit harsh to just point fingers at Vernon. The lineouts are a collective thing. It is everyone’s job in the lineout, not just the guy throwing in, and a lot revolves around the timing of the jump, the guys who are doing the lifting, and the calls that are made. It is all of those things together, not just the throwing.

“Obviously we will be doing a big review on what went wrong at the lineouts in Edinburgh. We know we can definitely be a lot better. I have been there myself. When stuff doesn’t go your way you tend to be hard on yourself and blame yourself for what went wrong, to think it is all your fault. But that is often not the case. It is a collective thing.”

INCREDIBLE VERSATILITY

All the same, having a player who has recently played hooker for the Boks on your books has to be reassuring for the Stormers as they build up to Saturday’s first derby against the Hollywoodbets Sharks at the DHL Stadium. Fourie is more likely to be considered as a loose-forward by coach John Dobson, but his versatility could prove hugely valuable to the Stormers.

It means that even if Fourie isn’t selected as a hooker, which is unlikely if both Venter and JJ Kotze are available, he can cover the position. And with Siya Kolisi’s return to the Stormers creating a bit of a logjam when it comes to players who can wear the No 6 jersey, there is the possibility we could see Fourie accommodated as a kind of hybrid between front-ranker and loose-forward. Having him on the field at hooker at the same time that Paul de Villiers is on the field will certainly add to the Stormers’ ball-scavenging abilities.

For his part, Fourie appears open to the prospect of playing hooker for the Stormers should he be needed there.

“I am glad I am not on the coaching team, as I am not sure how they are going to select a team given how many good players we have available in certain positions. Wherever the team needs me is where I will play, I will play wherever there is a gap to fill,” he said.

“I guess the coaches will see how everyone is feeling after they return from tour (both with the Boks and on the URC tour with the Stormers) and then take it from there. The Sharks played their Boks last week so they might have more cohesion than us, but at the same time it was good for us to get a week off.

“We arrived back (from Australia) last Tuesday and then had some game time, whereas for the Sharks guys it was straight back into training with the Sharks. I enjoyed my week off. It may be that the Sharks will be more cohesive after playing together against Leinster, but fortunately the game is at home, and we are very excited about playing in front of our crowd.”