Jaque Fourie made an immediate impression as a 19-year-old debuting for the Emirates Lions in 2003. Fast forward to 2022 and his impact as the defensive coach has taken a bit longer, but the Fourie fire is finally starting to show in the generation of kids he wants to turn into Vodacom United Rugby Championship winners.
Fourie, a 2007 World Cup winner, veteran of 72 Tests as a midfielder and among the most celebrated Springbok backs of the past two decades, scored the most sensational of tries in the Springboks’ breathtaking second Test and series win over the British & Irish Lions at Loftus Versfeld in 2009. The try was voted the International Rugby Players’ Association Try of the Year for 2009.
Fourie’s attacking strength was always on show as a player, but the part of his game most respected within the Springbok set-up was his management of the defensive system. He could tackle and he was a master of organising a defence.
Fourie felt the players were not showing the necessary desire to want to tackle, to think about tackling or to understand the necessity of being strong defensively. It couldn’t be about an all-out attack, and in February 2022, Fourie called the players out for their indifference to tackling.
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He told media: “It is about getting these guys to play for each other every game. It is about respect for the player inside and outside of you. If you are willing to work for the guy next to you, he will do the same for you. There are things you can coach and there are things we can tweak, but you can’t coach a player’s heart.”
Significantly, given it is nine months later, he talks of the birth of a different type of player.
“The players are 100% better than last year,” he said after the Lions fought dramatically to win all three matches on their overseas tour.
“The guys are understanding it properly. The way we as coaches want them to understand it,’ he said after the 22-19 win over Edinburgh.
He was beaming because of the tackles being made, at how each player was defensively there for his mate, how no player was giving up in scrambling on defence, and how players were finally getting the impact of a big hit and how it can change the dynamic and momentum of a match.
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The kids, in 19-year-old loose forward Ruan Venter and 21-year-old outside centre Henco van Wyk, were terrifying the opposition with their defence, and it was inspiring every one of their teammates to show a similar desire.
Venter, who was colossal defensively and made one of the most memorable tackles on Scottish international Hamish Watson, lauded Fourie in the post-match interviews.
Player of the Match against Edinburgh, Lions No 8 Francke Horn also praised the impact of Fourie.
‘Coach Jaque,’ said Horn before elaborating on the defence of the Lions. These youngsters were not talking about their natural ball skills and attacking ability. They were insistent that they won because of their respect for the mechanics of defence and their appreciation of defending.
Which doesn’t mean they don’t want to attack and score tries. To the contrary, they have scored some spectacular tries this season in winning three of their first four matches and seven of their last 11 in the URC.
The Lions, even in their early defeats, always played some wonderful attacking rugby. It was never a case of the players not being talented enough or lacking in attacking skill.
Ivan van Rooyen, the head coach, is from that school of attack. He loves to play on the edge and to take risks, but in Fourie he has found the perfect ally in finding the balance between attack and defence – and the results have largely been winning ones.
