STORMERS CENTURION FOUCHE WANTS TO ADD TO HIS ONE BOK CAP

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

Fouche wysed: “It’s a privilege to do what I love. 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 Bok debut against Georgia in Nelspruit earlier this year, having come a long way since almost quitting the sport in 2016.

He added: “For me, playing for the Springboks in my 30s 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.

“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.”

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

Fouche said: “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.”

Fouche is a key figure in a Stormers pack that has been dominating 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 groot contest against the Lions’ tight five.

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

“It’s a South African derby and all the local teams enjoy the scrum.”