Jacque Fourie out of International Rugby

After a poor show for the Springbok team in 2013 - where he made all tackles if his poor pace allowed for it, but his attacking play was non-existent -  Meyer made a fool of himself by pleading with Fourie to return and play for the Springbok team.  
Fourie returned to the training camp in June in a shocking physical condition - so poor that Meyer was forced in telling him he better get back to Japan to try and get into shape.  Matter of fact that would not have happened if the Springbok squad management thought there was a chance that he would make the grade bu rehabilitation locally.
Although there was still a vague promise that he would be back if there is  need for it, it was clear that Fourie is not an international player anymore.  It was therefore no surprise that the following article is retrieved from News24"-
 While coach Heyneke Meyer has rounded up all the usual suspects as he prepares the Springbok squad for the Rugby World Cup, one of his favourites - veteran centre Jaque Fourie - has gone missing.   It was late in June that Meyer included the 32-year-old Fourie in his Springbok training squad.

“Even though Jaque Fourie announced that he had retired from Test rugby late last year, we have had positive talks with him and his club in Japan,” said Meyer at the time.

“An agreement was reached that he will be available for one last season of Test rugby. As soon as he’s back to full fitness, we’ll consider him for selection.”

Fourie was almost immediately sent back to his club in Japan to regain full fitness and the burly outside centre spoke of his excitement at the prospect of again being involved in a Rugby World Cup campaign.

But a source inside the Springbok camp told The Witness yesterday that Fourie has now told Meyer that he will not be ready for the RWC and no longer wishes to be considered.

Meyer, if he had his way, would have selected a backline for the RWC that would have included Jean de Villiers, Fourie and Frans Steyn but circumstances have changed.

Fourie, it appears, has confirmed his retirement from international rugby, captain Jean de Villiers has still to prove he has regained form and fitness, and Frans Steyn’s future in the squad is now uncertain following the sudden death of his brother on Monday and a lingering chest injury.

Meyer is short of midfield experience but the good news, of course, is that young midfield replacements Damian de Allende and Jesse Kriel have excelled in three successive outings for the Springboks."

This situation should never have arisen.  The main reason was there was no indication that Fourie was still performing well enough to qualify for Springbok selection - playing in Japan is a certain recipe for disaster.   The players lose pace and physical condition and the success story of players from there being successful is virtually non-existent.  What is more in evidence in those players are a serious deterioration in performance - a player like Kaino took a month to get back onto his feet - the rest never did.

It is now necessary to look carefully at other Japan returnees.  Du Preez is constantly in poor physical form.  he was so poor that eh could not even last through a clubs training programme in Japan without an injury and has not played a single game since March.  Steyn and Pietersen was pathetic this year.  They lost pace and was more noticeable in deficient performance than in any other way. .        

Fourie continuing his stint with the frame of mind that he was retired was the end of any hope of another test run. 

Thank goodness this washed up has been is no longer available......great in his day, but that day was some 5 years ago 

Well, with Kriel possibly being shifted to 13, lets hope we have someone good enough to uphold the Bok brand even half as good as Fourie. Meyer could yet give into fans once more, and we have learned from experience, you calls don't work in big boy rugby. 
PS. I meant senior rugby, not your under 9 Hippo's 'Jumbo Championship'.

 DF
In his prime Fourie was very good, but he is not the player he used to be and his return to test rugby in 2013 proved that he has lost his mojo.
Fact is the present issue is partly due to Fourie being regarded as the certainty for the WC resulted in the present problem at 13.
I think that Meyer needed a place for De Villiers and also had a problem on the wing.  I think that there is very little chance of Kriel going back to full back.  After De Villiers retirement after the WC the future center combination will center around in the main three players - De Allende, Kriel and Vorster - with the fourth candidate being Serfontein.    
The Stampkar rugby of the past is on the way out.  

No loss. He was already out of touch with test rugby 2 years ago.

Kriel will be a far better 13 than Fourie ever was and Fourie was very good.
Kriel is quicker and has far more creative flair than Fourie ever had.

 Kriel is faster, but Fourie was the better tackler and had tremendous reading of the game hat has only ever been surpassed by Du Preez. Kriel has a potentially bright future ahead of him but he will never be in the class of Fourie. 

Don't forget about Steppie the other best centre since readmission  

Nope I said Serf would be better than Jean and I stand by that......he is far better than Jean ever was aged 21.
Serf is a 12, we are talking 13's here.

Fox do you think that by lying you some how up your credibility on this site.....when did I say JJ was the best 13 since readmission you lying scumbag?
As for Fourie being a better reader of the game than Kriel.....what utter rubbish.
Kriel will be far better than Fourie, for he is twice the athlete. Fourie had little skill, he was strong, ran good lines but was never creative.......creativity will always pip a solid player like Fourie.
Kriel has it all......a special talent

"He will go down as our best 13 since Gerber.........he has far more attacking clout than Snyman, Mulder, Joubert and Fourie. His partnership with Serfontein will be our best since readmission" - September 11th 2013.

Is that saying he is the best 13 since readmission you dunce?

Getting close though, I'll find that puppy and take it to the pound for sure! We already have you on Serfontein though, you say he is better than Jean. You've expressed Jean was the best since readmission, so that makes Serf the best ever if he is better than Jean in his prime. But many still remember that you did claim JJ was the best since readmission, just going to take time to find the quote.

 Don't want to get into the best ever argument with anybody - but this constant harking to the past remains a problem.   Dave goes overboard when claiming players are the best ever since re-admission.   His problem is that he sees potential as actual ability proven in tests.  The real assessment of players can actually only be determined after the player had at least 10 tests played.
Lets take as an example a player who had massive potential.  When I first saw Frans Steyn at full back and later at center I thought he had the potential to be a great.   He played in nearly 50 tests by 2012 when he returned from France.  Was he ever a great international player living up to his potential?   Initially perhaps - he was thrown into the team at the deep end in 2007 and was successful.   However, after his return from France in 2012 - supposedly during his prime years of age as a rugby player - he deteriorated drastically because his physical condition did not allow for him to perform.  Is he still a great player - some thinks so - but there is no recent indication that he in fact is one.  He lost his pace and was always a better full back than he was in any other position.  The reason is his slowness in reading game situations and decision-making.  At full back it is not a major problem - he has more time to make decisions and act on it.  However his lack of pace put pay to him playing at full back and his alternative positions at flyhalf and center is not really the best alternatives for him     
The best thing to do is not to pronounce anything about a player based on potential neither on reputation.   In the final an alysis greatness by a player depends on his continuous actual performance over his career as a test player.   Some starts off well and deteriorates drastically after initial success.   Some just do not develop at all on higher level.
I also thought that Serfontein had huge potential - but he did not really lived up to his potential.  Perhaps he was used wrongly to play the Stampkar rugby of the Bulls and that became an ingrained element of his rugby performance.   Is he better than Jean de Villiers was in his prime at 12 - I do not think so, but that can change in future since he is still very young and he can develop if properly used.  Is he at present better than Francois Steyn - definitely.   Is he better than De Allende - not at all.  
When it comes to Engelbrecht I initially expressed doubts about his suitability as a center - he was a wing that to my mind never really made his transition to center.  His initiation as a center happened in the Bulls - not a franchise known as a place for any center to develop.
The opposite to the greatness story early in a players career is equally deficient, namely to hang on to players based on reputation only when past their prime.  The list is long - but as a center Jacque Fourie is a typical example.   If today I have only a choice between Fourie and Engelbrecht I would choose Engelbrecht.
The problem remains  and that is that actual PRESENT PERFORMANCE is what is important.   If a player has experience and he maintains the required level of performance that is a huge advantage.  If he is only selected because of reputation, it is a massive problem.
So my assessment is - Dave is wrong for assessing potential ahead of performance and Mozart and DF is wrong for assuming reputation without regard to actual recent performance is the way to go.                           

 
Not sure what this hasbeen thought he'd accomplish?

Hopelessly to slow ... waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay off the pace regarding modern play ... just another arrogant fool thinking he's better than he actually is.

Glad to see him go.

Serfontein has yet to take the step up to test rugby. Has yet to fully establish himself at test level. I'd still take him over Damian. 

 DF
The Bulls had more problems than the center pair - the props for example was not up to standard at all.  By bringing Matfield this year they further weakened their Tight 5 situation.  
Despite the fact that they brought in Strauss, Labuschagne and Nyakane this year - the handicap in the Tight 5 was worse this year than it was ever over the previous three years. 
Their other problem was at flyhalf.  Before Pollard came on the scene their flyhalf situation was pathetic.  Both Morne and Potgieter had only one asset - there kicking at goal.  The rest of their performances were pathetic.   For a center pairing to perform well outside of those two and at the same time play stampkar rugby, is too much to expect.
I agree with you about early development of some players and the danger to identify players at two early a stage in their careers - but the problem lies more with the development of players when they are in their formative years - ie in their early 20's.  If that is not done - like happened in the case of Serfontein it is also a problem.
Be it as it may Serfontein is not as bad  center as you and Mozart make him out to be.  He is solid on international level - not a great by any means.   As I said earlier our future center combinations after the WC would be around four players (De Allende, Kriel, Vorster and Serfontein).   All four are very young still and that is the future we have to look at.  All four have still potential to develop and that is why we have a real future center combination - potentially much better than what we have had over the past four years.         
        

 
I agree that Serfontein did not make the step up to test rugby.

We waited for him to bring the magic. It never came.

Odendaal is a better 12 than he is. So is Vorster and De Allende.

JJ isn't a center at all.

The Bulls had a poor season due to poor selection, poor coaching and a little internal strife.

My Bulls center pair would be Odendaal at 12 with Serfontein coming in at 13. JJ to the wing with HouGat on the other wing.

 
I prefer Mapoe to Serfontein.

Serfontein has had his opportunities to show us what he's got ... turns out not much at test level.

Not yet anyway.