Deon Fourie set to make injury return for Stormers against the All Blacks

Fourie has endured a torrid couple of years of brief spells of playing time punctuated by injuries, surgeries and recovery, with plenty of speculation over the prospect of his time as a professional rugby player coming to an end.

With his injury worries now appearing to be coming to an end finally, Fourie is as determined as ever to get back to doing what he loves most: playing rugby.

The 39-year-old is expected to be part of the Stormers team that will take the field against New Zealand on 8 August in a warm-up match for the much-anticipated Rugby's Greatest Rivalry tour.

"I'm ready; it's been about 10 or 11 weeks since the surgery. Fitness-wise, I'll probably only be able to tell you on Friday how it's going," he said at a Stormers media briefing.

"I'm definitely raring to go. I've been looking forward to this match since it was announced.

"Just to represent your club, where I've spent almost my entire career, against a Test side like the All Blacks is such a big occasion. To face the Haka is something every little boy dreams of when they start playing rugby."

Fourie's only previous match against the All Blacks was the epic 2023 Rugby World Cup final, where he played a large portion of the match with an injured shoulder because he was the only option the Springboks had left at hooker after Bongi Mbonambi was forced off early with a knee injury.

"It's a massive game. I was fortunate enough to get one game against the All Blacks, and about 80 or 90 percent of the guys in the Stormers squad won't get this opportunity again," he said.

"I can't really remember much of those 77 minutes [in the World Cup final]. It went past so quickly. You always hope that you can play against them again.

"Over the last two years, I've had terrible luck with injuries, and I didn't know whether I'd be able to play this year.

"Fortunately, everything went well, and I get another opportunity to face the Haka. In the 2023 final, everything went by so quickly that you almost don't remember that feeling. I hope to feel that feeling again."