Fouché eyes more Springbok caps as Stormers stalwart closes in on milestone century

Springbok and Stormers prop Neethling Fouché has not given up on adding to his single international cap as he gears up for a potential 100th appearance for the unbeaten Cape side, should he be selected to face the Lions in Saturday’s United Rugby Championship (URC) clash at Cape Town Stadium.

“It’s a privilege to do what I love,” Fouché said during an online media briefing on Monday afternoon alongside Stormers assistant coach Dawie Snyman.

“For some of us, a dream like playing for the Springboks happens early, but mostly for tightheads it happens later in life. You really have to pay your school fees. In those first couple of seasons, you get scrummed backwards more than you go forward, but you just keep working and refining the art and the skill of it.”

The 32-year-old made his Springbok debut against Georgia in Nelspruit earlier this year, having come a long way since almost quitting the sport in 2016.

“For me, playing for the Springboks in my thirties makes it so much sweeter because I waited a really long time and worked hard for it. To get there made the day very special. And once you are in camp, you just want to get back as soon as you can,” he said.

“The first thing is you have to produce for the Stormers. You have to play well for your franchise and, if the opportunity comes again, you take it.”

Fouché admitted an arm injury stalled his momentum at an unfortunate time, but remains determined to push on.

“No injury comes at a good time, but you naturally don’t want to be parked on one cap. You want to move forward. I have dreams and aspirations to run out for the Springboks again. I’ll put in the work to give myself the best chance. Whether I’m chosen or not is out of my control.”

Fouché is a key figure in a Stormers pack that has been dominating the scrums, laying the platform for an unbeaten run in both the URC and the Champions Cup. However, he is refusing to get carried away and is bracing for a fierce contest against the Lions’ tight five.

“We’re definitely not there yet. It’s never a case of thinking you’ve arrived and are the perfect pack,” he said.

“It’s a South African derby and all the local teams enjoy the scrum and going after each other. Those matches always have that little bit of edge. We’ll do the hard work this week, give the Lions the respect they deserve and then we’ll have to pitch up on Saturday.”

Snyman echoed those sentiments, warning against underestimating the Johannesburg side.

“The Lions are a really good, tough side. You don’t often go to Loftus and win, and they did that about two weeks ago,” Snyman said.

“They are very dangerous, with individual players who can hurt you if you’re not focused or if your defence is off, and they have a good set piece. South African derbies always have a bit of sting to them. Everything will be a battle, whether it’s the breakdown or the aerial contest, so we’re expecting a really tough game.”

Kick-off for Saturday’s URC round seven clash at Cape Town Stadium is at 3pm.