Aphelele Fassi is ready to show off his kicking skill when called upon to aim at the poles in Saturday’s opening Test match of the Castle Rugby Championship between South Africa and Australia.
Yes, that’s right, Fassi, well-known to Mzansi as The Weekend Special, will be one of the backup kickers to Manie Libbok alongside bench replacement Damian Willemse for this weekend’s clash at Ellis Park.
Earlier this week Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus revealed that Fassi has been practicing his kicks at goal after the Boks did not select a second specialist at flyhalf, even though Willemse has fulfilled that role for his country before.
Fassi: Been Practicing Kicking For Poles For Months
However, Fassi told reporters on Wednesday he is not phased about taking on the big responsibility of goal-kicking, should Libbok misfire on the day.
I’ve been practicing my kicking a lot, even before I joined the Boks this season, and I’m confident with the way things are going. So, when coach Rassie told me that I’ll also be a kicking option, it was a matter of putting my head down and continuing to put in the work.
Meanwhile, news out of the Wallabies camp is that veteran James O’Connor will be wearing the No.10 jersey for the Aussies who have been hit by a spate of flyhalf injuries during their series against the British & Irish Lions.
O’Connor, alongside Will Skelton, Taniela Tupou, Nic White, James Slipper are among the few Wallabies in coach Joe Schmidt’s squad that have faced the Boks in South Africa before.
Fassi: We’ll Beat Wallabies The Bok Way
His inclusion will bring a wealth of experience to the Aussies who last played a game in South Africa ahead of the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
But Fassi added that he and his Bok teammates are not worried about which players in the Wallabies camp they get to play on Saturday, and that includes O’Connor.
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 (O’Connor) is a good player with a good skillset, and he’s played against us before, so for us it is all about doing things the Springbok way.
