John Plumtree says Aphelele Fassi is showing signs of ridding himself of his inconsistencies after the Sharks fullback’s sensational start to the season.

Fassi dotted down twice as the Sharks roared back to form with the aid of their Springboks in a 10-try bonus-point thrashing of Dragons in Durban, their first win of the season.

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Having earned his first Test cap against Georgia in 2021, scoring a try on debut, Fassi has fluttered in and out of the Springbok squad ever since, owing to the weaknesses in his game and inconsistent performances at franchise level.

However, having committed himself to the Sharks earlier this year, the 25-year-old is enjoying a fantastic start to the Vodacom URC campaign.

Prior to the clash with Dragons, Fassi made more carry metres than any other player in the Vodacom URC this season (565) and was directly involved in 10 line breaks in total, making six himself and assisting a further four, the most of any player.

“The beautiful thing about Fassi is [he’s] playing consistently well and that has been his Achilles’ heel over the past couple of years,” Plumtree said.

“He is capable of a really good game and then comes up with a few poor ones, but he’s settled in this team nicely.

“He knows what his strengths are, and we are working really hard on some of those weaknesses. Now he is really starting to play consistent rugby.

“And that’s a challenge for the team — every week being able to play consistently well. I think Fassi is getting on well with that, and that’s pleasing.”

The Sharks are up against the Vodacom Bulls in Pretoria on Saturday, a game that will present Fassi with the opportunity to show his growth against incumbent Springbok fullback Willie le Roux.

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