Aphelele Fassi wants to continue the good form he has displayed in the Tests he’s played so far this year. His prowess under high kicks will be crucial, as the Springboks look to make it two wins from two against Australia.
They know they have big shoes to fill this weekend, but the Springboks will look to emulate last weekend’s performance, without putting too much pressure on themselves.
Bok coach Rassie Erasmus made wholesale changes for the second Rugby Championship match in Perth on Saturday (kick-off 11.45pm) against Australia, with outside-back Aphelele Fassi one of 10 new faces in the team.
The fullback last played in the convincing win over Portugal in Bloemfontein and will be geared to put in another strong performance to keep his name amongst the Boks’ No.15 conversation for the rest of the international season.
After the 33-7 win in Brisbane that brought the world champions five points, Fassi believes they will face an improved Wallabies, who are looking for redemption after their dismal performance at Suncorp Stadium.
“We know Australia are hurting and they will come up with a different approach, so we are preparing as much as we can for this weekend,” the speedster said on Tuesday at the team announcement.
“Yes, there are changes to the team but we have been training together for six to eight weeks now. I would not say there is pressure (to emulate last weekend’s performance), but we want to implement our game and what we are training to do.
“Australia will come much hungrier, but we want to play our game. I am not thinking too much about Saturday but will follow my processes this week by speaking to the bigger heads, like Willie (le Roux), Cheslin (Kolbe), and Mapimps (Makazole Mapimpi).
“But nothing has really changed for me, I will just try to bring a more physical aspect to my game. Australia will challenge us at the breakdown and also bring that physicality.”
Fassi has had two excellent performances in the Bok jersey since his first game against Wales earlier this year but had to take a backseat for the Irish Tests with Le Roux and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu the preferred options.
Le Roux, close to reaching 100 caps for South Africa, also played last weekend, but he will be rested for the second Test, so Fassi will be eager to grab this opportunity.
He also added that he’s worked on his jumping technique with assistant coach Mzwandile Stick to avoid the type of yellow card he received against the Welsh. In that encounter, Fassi claimed a high kick recklessly with a boot that made contact with the chest of a player of the Red Dragons.
“That yellow card against Wales was a technical thing and I have trained around it with coach Stick. So, I am pretty happy,” he concluded.
