Aphelele Fassi making most of second chance with Boks: ‘Unbelievable’

Springbok fullback Aphelele Fassi has been making the most of his second chance with the Boks, and is now one of the team’s two frontline number 15s after a top season.

And, he is preparing to end a superb year back in the green and gold when the world champions take on Wales in their final end-of-year tour match in Cardiff on Saturday night.

Two years ago it was during the home series against the Welsh that Fassi found himself out in the cold, after he was dropped from the Bok squad and instructed to work on certain aspects of his game to get back into contention.

And that he did, putting in a lot of hard work and effort, while missing out on the rest of the 2022 international season and the World Cup year in 2023.

Springbok recall

Over the past season for his franchise, the Sharks, in the United Rugby Championship and Challenge Cup, Fassi looked back to his best, and his form led to him earning a recall to the Boks for the 2024 international season.

Damian Willemse, who is the Boks’ first choice fullback, has been dreadfully unlucky with injury this year, which has seen him not play a single international.

Veteran Willie le Roux was the obvious next in line, and was the starting fullback for the Boks during their midyear series against Ireland, but since the start of the Rugby Championship, Fassi has jumped ahead of him and is now challenging Willemse to be the team’s main number 15.

At a Bok press conference on Wednesday ahead of Saturday’s game, Fassi said that he was thrilled to be back and that he didn’t want to waste the opportunity that had been given to him.

“It’s (the year with the Boks) been unbelievable. When you come from a setback it is never easy. You have to follow your own processes and try not change what you normally do. So to get the opportunity to come back into a setup like this is amazing,” explained Fassi.

“What I want to do is grab it (the opportunity) with both hands and never lose it again, because I know that feeling of losing it.”

Willie experience

Speaking about his experience playing alongside, and competing with, Le Roux this season, Fassi said he had learnt a lot as the two shared duties over the international campaign.

“It has been great. There were two games where I played where he was on the side of the field (on the bench) shouting and commanding what he sees and letting me know what’s happening on the field,” said Fassi.

“That’s one thing that coach Rassie (Erasmus) puts on us. Everyone has a job to do, whether you are in the (match) 23 or outside of it. That relationship between us has been very good and we understand the plans that the Springboks are trying to build (on) in the near future.”

Talking about the coming Welsh game Fassi said: “The week has been cold. But things have been good. We have been going through our plans all week and we are wanting to execute those plans and take the opportunities we get (against Wales).”