VIDEO: Willie's 'honest' decision opened the door for Fassi
SPOTLIGHT: Springbok assistant coach Mzwandile Stick said there was no major disruption to their plans after Willie le Roux ruled himself out of Saturday’s Rugby Championship clash against the Wallabies in Cape Town.
Aphelele Fassi will wear the No.15 jersey again after Le Roux picked up a groin niggle.
The veteran fullback was originally one of the 10 changes to the team that went down 22-38 to the Wallabies at Ellis Park last weekend.
Stick revealed that it was Le Roux’s decision to pull out of Saturday’s rematch at Cape Town Stadium.
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“You don’t want to take a chance when you have a six-two split on the bench,” Stick told reporters on Friday.
“If you’re not 100 percent fit, it might be a big risk for us to force things.
“I must give credit to Willie for being honest.
“That shows his character and how much he respects the team.
“Once he felt that he wasn’t really comfortable going full out for 80 minutes, he was honest with us as coaches. We have so much respect for him.”
On Fassi’s inclusion, Stick said: “I don’t think it has disrupted our plans because Fassi has been in our squad for the past couple of months, and he knows exactly how we want to operate on the field.
“He also played last week, so there will be a bit of continuity in that jersey.
“Willie is a big loss. He is a very experienced player, and it would’ve been nice to see him on the field.
“However, Fassi has what it takes to do the job for us, especially with experienced players around him like Cheslin Kolbe, Jesse and Doogz [Damian de Allende].
“We will also have the cool brain of Handre Pollard a No.10. I think it will make things better for us this weekend.
“I’m confident that Fassi will do the job for us.”
Bok captain Jesse Kriel agrees that Fassi is the perfect player to step into that fullback role.
“Fassi is unbelievably talented, and he has been working closely with Willie, so I think he will do a great job there,” said Kriel.
“We are obviously very disappointed for Willie. I know how much he would’ve wanted to play, especially in Cape Town with his family here.
“I’m confident that Fassi will step up like he has over the last few years and perform well.”
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