Sharks hero of the week: Aphelele Fassi

We all know about Aphelele Fassi’s attacking game. His ability to run with pace and power from the back, splitting open defences like a laser through the night sky, coupled with his deft passing skills, is very much the signature of the product of the Eastern Cape. What had been blocking his path to the higher honours represented by a regular appearance in the colours of the Springboks, was a solid and reliable defensive game.

It is understood the number of occasions he has been shown up defensively is what has stopped Fassi from progressing, but in the game against Edinburgh the Cell C Sharks fullback showed that clearly he has been putting in much work on his Achilles heel. Yes, his array of attacking skills was still there on the 4G pitch at the DAM Health Stadium, most notably the pass in the tackle that sent in Marnus Potgieter. But in a game where the Sharks had to defend to survive, it was also frequently Fassi who put in the try saving tackles.

There were other players who challenged strongly to be the Hero of the Week, such as James Venter, who made an astounding 27 tackles in the game and was also effective in slowing down Edinburgh ball, but Fassi’s remarkable improvement defensively coupled with the contributions he made on the attack the standout Sharks player.