Aphelele Fassi ready to kick for poles if Springboks require it
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus said earlier this week that he hoped their Rugby Championship game against the Wallabies wouldn't come down to goalkicking to decide a winner, but if it does one of the players who might be tasked with that is fullback Aphelele Fassi.
Manie Libbok has been named at flyhalf for the match, and without Handre Pollard or Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu on the bench, a lot will rest on his shoulders in terms of kicking for poles, despite him having a spotty record for the Boks.
Utility back Damian Willemse is on the bench and will be another goalkicking option, along with Fassi, if Libbok is having an off day.
If he is called up, it will be a blast from the past for the 27-year-old Fassi, who played flyhalf at school for Dale College and was their frontline goalkicker.
Since turning pro, however, he has very rarely needed to call for the kicking tee.
But he recently did for the Sharks, just a few months ago in a United Rugby Championship match against Scarlets, slotting three penalties in helping his side to a tight 12-3 win, and should he be asked to kick on Saturday, he will be ready.
Practising a lot
'I've been practising my kicking a lot, even before I joined the Boks this season. Tony Brown [attack coach] said last week I must bring my tee to training because I'll be practising kicking, and I have been doing that. I'm confident with the way things are going,' said Fassi at a press conference this week.
'So, when coach Rassie told me I'll also be a kicking option, it was just a matter of putting my head down and continuing to put in the work.'
The game is, however, expected to be more of a running affair, which fits right into Fassi's attacking wheelhouse, as well as the two players on either side of him, Kurt-Lee Arendse and Edwill van der Merwe, while the Australians are a pretty attacking side as well.
'It will be a physical game, but potentially also a very exciting one, given the backs they have, and our back three. They'll play an expansive game and they'll run the ball,' said Fassi.
'But we have our plan. We know what we need to do, no matter what they throw at us. We need to play our brand of rugby.'
The Wallabies also surprised by naming James O'Connor's at flyhalf for the match, in his first appearance for them since 2022, but Fassi said it wouldn't change the Springboks' approach.
'It won't change the way we want to play if they select him because we know what we want to do on the field. He's a good player with a strong skill set, and he's played against us before,' said Fassi.
'So for us, it's all about doing things the Springbok way. For them, he brings experience, and he would be good for them with that old head.'
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