Aphelele Fassi eager to continue growing at 15 for Boks: ‘The competition is healthy’

Springbok fullback Aphelele Fassi is eager to continue his impressive rise over the past couple of seasons and produce another strong campaign for the Boks, starting this weekend against the Barbarians.

After making his Springbok debut against Georgia in 2021, Fassi only played twice more for the national team over the next year, against Argentina, and then against Wales in July 2022, following which he was dropped from the squad for various reasons.

This saw him miss out on selection for the 2023 World Cup, and only after a fantastic 2023/24 URC campaign for the Sharks, was he brough back into the Springbok mix last year.

This time he fully took his opportunity, taking advantage of the injury enforced absence of Damian Willemse, to get a run in the Bok No 15 jersey.

Fassi featured eight times over the season, starting off against Wales and Portugal, then impressed in the Rugby Championship in games against Australia, the All Blacks, and Argentina, before he finished off against England and Wales on the end-of-year-tour.

It was essentially a breakout season for the 27-year-old, and he will now want to secure his place in the team, especially with the added competition with Willemse back, while Willie le Roux will be targeting two more games to reach his hundred cap milestone as well.

Healthy competition

“The competition at fullback is healthy. Like Rassie Erasmus always says, we are here for a reason. So if you’re not playing on the weekend, you help the other guys, and if you’re playing, you play to the best of your ability,” said Fassi.

“The competition is never about bringing someone down or being malicious. The communication between the three of us has been great. We help each other develop our game, and the competition brings the best out of us.”

Fassi admits that he is continuing to learn and has improved a lot over the last year, and he wants to keep developing and growing his game over this year’s international campaign.

“My work rate has improved. I’ve been able to communicate better, and I’ve also shown a strong willingness to learn,” explained Fassi.

“I approach every week differently. My preparation has changed. My kicking game has improved, and I take each week as it comes. I think that’s where I’ve grown the most.”

This weekend’s match against the Barbarians will also be Fassi’s biggest challenge since returning from a serious injury he picked up with the Sharks in December, which saw him out for almost four months, although he did have a good end of season run for his franchise.

“I came back from the injury and played six games at club level. Obviously, it’s a different ball game when you come to Test level. This game will test what level I’m at. I want to see where I can improve and get better going forward into the season,” said Fassi.