‘There must be consequences’: Stormers coach fumes after Fourie injury incident

Stormers defence coach Norman Laker has confirmed that veteran flank Deon Fourie’s knee injury will be assessed when he returns to South Africa.

Fourie was injured early in the Cape-based side’s clash with Ulster on Friday night, when he was cleaned out via a croc roll by Iain Henderson.

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Although Fourie’s knee was strapped up, and he tried to soldier on, he was replaced a few minutes later by Paul de Villiers.

Henderson initially received a yellow card for the incident, which was then upgraded to a 20-minute red following a bunker review.

This could have been career-ending for Deon Fourie. pic.twitter.com/cOXzavopCy

At this point, Laker says, the severity of the injury isn’t known.

“All I can tell you is he came off the field wearing a brace,” Laker said.

“He’s most probably flying back to South Africa to get a scan and diagnosis.”

Laker added that the loss of Fourie was a big blow for the Stormers as they enter the playoff phase of the competition, following their final league clash against Cardiff, which takes place on Friday night.

“We’ve lost one of our captains, which is quite disappointing. It’s not nice to lose one of our top, most-capped players because of an incident like that,” Laker said.

“On field, I really thought it must have been a red card.

“I do think there must be consequences.”

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It remains to be seen what disciplinary action the URC take against Henderson for his actions, but Laker believes that the 4G pitches, like the one Ulster plays their home matches on, often lead to injuries.

“Your feet get stuck, but on grass your foot might give way and your knees or ankles might be fine,” Laker said.

It’s a cruel blow for Fourie, who has struggled with injuries recently, and he only returned to action a few months ago against the Bulls after injuring his bicep.

At 39 years old, Fourie is in the twilight of his career, and his Stormers contract comes to an end this season. Whether he will play again for the franchise remains to be seen.