Fourie overcomes nerves in cameo England performance

TWICKENHAM, south London, is a long way from Burgersdorp, South Africa, but having sung God Save The Queen with all his might there was no questioning Hendre Fourie's allegiances last Saturday.

"I sang with every breath I could muster and it felt great in front of 80,000 fans," proclaimed England's newest international, whose journey from the mountainous region of the Eastern Cape to the heart of English rugby was completed against the All Blacks.

"I had no thoughts of South Africa at all, that Red Rose on my chest is what it's all about. I'm going at this full pelt to get as many England caps as I can for my country."

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At 31, the Leeds Carnegie back row has taken a while to blossom but after arriving on these shores from South Africa in 2005, his five years at Rotherham Titans and Headingley have helped groom him for the international stage.

He was rewarded for his domestic form with a 15-minute cameo against New Zealand, helping keep the hosts on the front foot as they took the game to the world's No 1 ranked team.

"It was an awesome experience," said Fourie, who revealed a few words of inspiration from the man he replaced, Lewis Moody, helped him control his nervous energy.

"I was very nervous before the game, especially coming to the ground and seeing all the fans.

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"But as he came off the pitch Lewis just told me to 'enjoy it, be yourself and don't try to do anything other than you normally would do'. They were wise words from a very good and a very respected player.

"Everyone has been saying 'just be yourself, do what you do, that's why you're picked for the team'. What I learned against New Zealand is you've just got to do it a little bit better.

"International rugby is very quick, you need to be on your mettle, there's no time to rest, you have to be ready all the time. Decisions have to be made that bit quicker, and I think I can get used to that."

Fourie will learn today if he has done enough to retain his place on the bench for Saturday's second Autumn International against Australia, with Martin Johnson unlikely to drop his captain and first-choice openside Moody, though, for now, Fourie is just happy to be part of the England experience.

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"Lewis is an inspirational leader, and if I come on and finish the game for the last few minutes then that's fine by me, but Martin Johnson knows I'm ready to play 80 minutes if he needs me," he said.

"Hopefully I'll be in the 22 again – I'm fit if selected.

"The key against Australia will be not letting them get into the game, we should start playing early, and not give them a sniff.

"Two lapses and they score – that's international rugby," he said.