Strange things happen to your body once you hit 40.
Your metabolism slows; there is a loss in muscle mass; there is a decline in collagen, making for less elastic skin; there is facial volume loss and your mitochondria become fatigued, lessening your physical endurance; the bones hurt a bit more; the joints creak a bit louder; movement becomes a bit harder. You frequent the bathroom way too often.
Now, on the cusp of 40-years old, Springbok utility-forward Deon Fourie continues to defy most of that.
Instead, Fourie — who will become a quadragenarian later this month — continues to make history with each passing weekend, extending the record he already holds as the oldest Springbok ever. This past Saturday, coming off the bench against the All Blacks in Baltimore in the fourth and final match of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry (RGR), Fourie was 39 years and 352 days old.
It is Fourie’s second record in the Green and Gold, as he also holds the mark as the oldest Bok debutant at 35-years and 284 days old.
It is a reality that Fourie can barely believe himself. Having played an integral part in the Boks retaining the Webb Ellis Cup at the Rugby World Cup 2023, the Hoërskool Pietersburg alumnus would have expected to be counting down the remaining days of his professional career — not only at Test level, but provincial level, too.
Serious injuries — a ruptured ACL, a torn bicep, and a broken leg — would have compounded the belief that the twilight of his career was sinking into its darkened conclusion.
“After the World Cup,” Fourie said, earlier this week while with the Boks in the US, “I thought maybe I’d play one or two more years.
“But then I got invited again to an alignment camp in Cape Town, and that sparked a bit of fire in me again to wear the green and gold. Unfortunately, right after that, I broke my leg, and the injuries piled up.
“To be honest, I didn't think I'd wear the green and gold again, but I had a few good games at the end of the United Rugby Championship last year.”
“In my first match, they called me Oupa,” Fourie added, now recalling his Bok debut against Wales in 2022. “It's always a joke among us.
"It was never a goal of mine to set that record; my goal was just to win and be in this incredible environment, to represent my country and the people around me. The guys still run circles around me, but I try to keep up.”
A storming outing for the Stormers against the All Blacks in an RGR tour match last month, coupled with a handful of injuries in the Bok setup and his undeniable versatility, ensured Fourie was recalled by Bok coach Rassie Erasmus at the 11th hour before the first Test at Ellis Park. The dearth of depth at hooker — Malcolm Marx is the incumbent, followed by Gerhard Steenekamp and utility forward Jan-Hendrik Wessels, while Bongi Mbonambi continues to battle injury — also forced Erasmus’ hand.
Fourie famously filled the hooker role during the 2023 Rugby World Cup final against the All Blacks in Paris after an early injury to Marx forced a shift. In the three Tests he has played in the RGR this far — including the Baltimore match on Saturday night — he has been selected in the No 16 jumper, reserved for the replacement hooker.
That role has turned him into a hybrid player: packing down at hooker for scrums and throwing into line-outs, but roaming the pitch like a flanker and jackal in open play.
“The versatility is definitely still there,” said Fourie. “I came on as a flanker to replace Pieter-Steph, and then moved to hooker later. So, the options are there for how I can contribute to the team.
“There's not really much difference between No 2 and No 6,” he continued. “It's just the scrums and line-outs; afterwards, it's just a number on your back. Just getting through that and bringing my expertise as a flanker offers something extra to the team.”
From the US, Fourie and Co will depart for Australia to conclude a marathon stint with the Bok camp. The Boks are scheduled to play the Wallabies on Sunday, 27 September — two days after 'Brannas' turns 40. He could well feature in that matchday 23 in Perth.
Celebrating that milestone will inevitably take place with the squad.
“My wife is not too happy,” Fourie admitted.
“She had a few plans two months ago for my 40th, but those changed a bit. We’ll be in Australia; I think it’s on the Friday.
"Luckily, it’s an off day for us, but I’m not sure yet what I’m going to do. I’ve got a few friends in Sydney who are probably going to fly over to Perth to make it special for me.”
Looking ahead, Australia is set to host the next Rugby World Cup, and although Fourie hopes to stay in contention, he remains pragmatic about the ageing process.
“I'm taking it game by game. There are still a lot of games to be played before the World Cup, but if the body holds up and I can still perform at the top level, then why not?”
* South Africa beat New Zealand 43-28 in the Baltimore match, sealing Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series 3-1 in the largest crowd ever assembled for a single rugby match in North America.