Having only learnt how to speak English when he was nine, Fourie struggled at first to come to grips with the accent but now counts himself as an honorary Yorkshireman.

And he maintains a corner of the Afrikaners Eastern Cape – historically an anti-England territory – will be cheering on the Red Rose.

“I am proper English now. Leeds is my home and I go on holiday to South Africa” said Fourie in a broad Afrikaans accent.

“I am qualified for England and I am just as proud to pull on an England shirt at the weekend as I would be a South Africa shirt.

“My Mum and Dad shed a few tears when I came on against New Zealand. A guy from Burgersdorp sent me a text and said it sounded like South Africa had won the World Cup when I came on.

“It has all been massively supportive. Everybody is proud and why shouldn’t they be? I have achieved one of the greatest things in sport.”