The Tuks hooker, Werner Fourie, will be a hero before he puts a hand to any rugby ball or executes a single tackle during the 2021 Varsity Cup tournament.

And with good reason, Fourie made a remarkable comeback after he had been diagnosed with a brain tumour last year. It is said you can't keep a good man down. He proved it to be true. If nothing unforeseen happens, he will again pack in the middle of the scrum when Tuks takes on Wits. Hopefully, that will be on 8 March.

In 2019 and 2020, Fourie was on top of his game. He was always in the thick of things. It did not matter whether he was playing for Tuks or the "Bulls" his heroics often impacted a game's outcome.

A definite highlight was being part of the Vodacom Bulls team which won the SA Rugby Under-21 Championship in 2019. It was also special to score three tries during last year's Varsity Cup opening match of the season against Northwest Pukke.

It was after the Pukke game that things took a turn for the worse. Fourie started to develop a headache which progressively worsened. He went to see a doctor and underwent some tests. Afterwards, he had to listen to words no 21-year-old ever wants to hear-"you got a brain tumour".

Still, he refused to forsake his Tuks teammates. The day before his operation he was in the stands cheering them on to a victory against UJ.

According to Fourie, he was initially in shock when told he has got a tumour. Then again, he abides by a simple philosophy. It is to face any challenge head-on.  Never getting worked up about what possibly could go wrong.

"From the day of my operation, I chose to take things day by day. When I was strong enough, the first thing I did was resume my BIT Information studies. The COVID-19 pandemic lockdown turned out to be a blessing in disguise. It enabled me to catch up and pass my end of the year exams. I need to thank my family and friends for their support. It was them who never allowed me to get discouraged.”

Like many other Varsity Cup players, Fourie cannot wait to get back on the rugby field awaiting the referee's whistle to give them the "green light" to do what they crave doing- sidestep, dummy and making "big hits".

Every time the Tuks player dons a rugby jersey, it seems as if he undergoes a personality change. Gone is the somewhat "shy" sometimes soft-spoken student. The guy who takes to the field is a warrior who won't hesitate to repeatedly put his body on the line to get his team to win.  He abides by the simple rule if you mess with me I will mess with you. According to Fourie, it is a deliberate act.

"I want to be perceived as a baddy a sort of an on-field enforcer. Rugby to me is more than a purely physical battle. At times it gets to be a mind game in which you got to rattle the opposition. If you can do so, they will start making mistakes."