Aphelele Fassi was “bummed” not to make the Springbok World Cup squad in 2023, but the fit-again fullback is seizing every opportunity with the Sharks this season.
Following a horror run of injuries since 2022, the three-Test Bok flyer has featured in every match for the Durbanites in 2023-24 so far, and started 16 of his 17 appearances.
Fassie helped steer the Sharks to victory over Edinburgh last week, and speaking to the media on Wednesday in the buildup to this week’s Challenge Cup clash against Zebre Parma at Kings Park, he emphasised how being injury-free has benefited him.
“The most important thing for me is my health, keeping fit,” he told reporters. “The last two seasons injuries just got to me and I didn’t get any consistency or gametime.
“This year I’ve played every game and am trying to get that consistency, and Saturday’s performance was me being able to pull out a few tricks that I had and put the team on the front foot.”
The 26-year-old made a try-scoring Test debut against Georgia in 2021, yet his last outing in the green and gold came in a historic defeat to Wales in Bloemfontein two years ago.
He featured for the SA A side against Munster in Cork later the same year, but an injured foot and broken bone in his leg hamstrung his domestic and international prospects.
“[A Springbok recall] is not something I’ve been thinking about,” Fassi added. “I haven’t found myself playing consistently for two years [to be considered]. All my focus is on the Sharks.
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“Getting back-to-back injuries in the space of three to four games in a total of 16 weeks, you’re bound not to be selected. Obviously quite bummed [to not go to the World Cup] but it took me two hours to say, ‘OK, you have to face reality and come back in pre-season and work hard’.
“I tore my ATFL [against Munster] … came back to South Africa and was out for 10 weeks. Came back, played three games, went down to Cape Town [to face the DHL Stormers], broke my fibula, out for another several weeks. Came back, played three games and then the season ended.
“After that, personally, it was just focusing on putting a lot of time into my recovery.”
The Edinburgh result was the first time this season that the Sharks claimed back-to-back wins in the Vodacom URC. In contrast, John Plumtree’s charges finished as the top-ranked team in Pool 1 of the Challenge Cup, and Fassi highlighted the importance of Saturday’s last 16 clash with Zebre.
“The squad is pretty confident after the two matches against Ulster and Edinburgh but coming into a different competition with different stakes… It’s obviously a knockout game,” he said.
“Zebre is an Italian team that is going to come here with a lot of passion and physicality, so I think for us it is being able to manage that and put our forwards into the right places.
“Once we get that it’s about knocking off those opportunities which will be crucial for us as a team.”
Photo: INPHO/Steve Haag Sports/Steve Haag