Deon Fourie warns that most Stormers players may never face the All Blacks or the haka again, urging Test-match focus for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

There are few athletes, let alone rugby players, who know the rich value of patience and taking their chance when it comes. But Deon Fourie is one of that small group.

A man who had been playing professional rugby for 16 years before making his Test debut at the age of 35 in 2022, Fourie never gave up hope of being a Springbok.

His career story is no fairytale. It's a chronicle of never letting his standards drop, and of extreme perseverance to reach the pinnacle of the game.

In 2023, he played 77 minutes of the World Cup final against the All Blacks, out of position at hooker. He did a fine job and was instrumental in the Springboks winning their fourth World Cup and their second in succession.

Then injury struck again, and he's only played a handful of games since, and never been back in the Test arena. It's a microcosm of his career, which would have derailed many lesser men. But Fourie is mentally tungsten-tough and will bring that energy and attitude to the Stormers' clash with the All Blacks at Cape Town's DHL Stadium on Friday, 7 August.

Even at the age of 39, he...