Coming of Age, the weekend special, Fassi

How good was Fassi on Saturday. This guy hardly put a foot wrong all game. 

1. Brave in the air and took all the high balls, even did a backflip and still held on to the ball and avoiding serious injury. 
   
2. Injected pace and physicality into the boks back line. Great to see him running from depth and picking his line. He still had to break tackles to score and was just reward for his hard work
3. Covered well on defence and never got caught out the back. 
4. He popped up in the 10 channel a few times and execute a great cross field kick to to Arendse, had it not been for the bounce and Arendse not able to apply pressure would have been the try of the season. 
5. His passing has improved and had a couple of great long passes. Able to move the boks Attack fast from left to right stretching the baggies defence. It was frightening how quick the boks attack was and accurate. That final pass to Kolbe to give him a 1 on 1 was pure class. I thought we lacked that ability by not having Willie but Fassi delivered. 

A number of soft knock-ons though, I remember at least two. In a runaway game it's easily forgettable, in a tight game it could be fatal.

But he has restored some faith in him from my side. He looked a little "blunt force" to me in previous tests this year, as in he's fast and dangerous but lacks the nous to read an attacking situation and sensibly influence it like Willie does. He showed a little more game intelligence on Saturday - the line he ran onto Manie's pass at the end there for example was superb.

Well I disagree that Fassi has suddenly become a good player. 

He's always been a brilliant runner with ball in hand and he's always been excellent in the air. Yes, his tackling can still improve but it's not like he's suddenly doing things he hasn't done before. I've been asking Rassie to pick him ahead of Willie for years now.

Four years ago I said….’not so Fassi’. That proved prescient and certainly he has improved his tackling. Saturday his high ball work was outstanding and like it or not, that’s the make or break skill for a modern 15.

But he has to confirm that in a tight game away against a committed opponent, perhaps in wet weather. And then do it for 10 years…..then he will be a replacement for Willie. 

I thought that at times he should have run and linked instead of overdoing the kick, other than that he was solid.

Good spotting Dave and Rooi you've been riding his case for yonks.

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I just watched the Edinburgh game and Fassi’s MOM performance. It seems as if he has tightened up his defense quite a bit and has always been a spectacular runner. I haven’t seen much of him for a while, others may wish to comment.

I was also impressed by his thoughtful, balanced interview. An impressive young chap.

Lot’s a hatred there….hahaha.

My response further down the thread still stands . . . 

"Oh well, at least the pompous old relic has gotten over his hatred of Aphelele Fassi. One or two more good performances from Fassi and Moffie will be claiming he discovered him . . . as he did with Jaque Fourie, as he did with Cheslin Kolbe, as he did with Samu Kerevi, as he did with Andre Esterhuizen and so many other players that made him look stupid."

LMAO!

More egg for ‘Sic’. See any references to him being slow loser?

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Breaks are fine Dave....but  fullbacks these days are more defined by taking high balls  than making breaks. The game has changed as you so often say.

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No doubt Fassi is fast, but Barrett did the same thing to Dyantyi who has speed off the mark but average top end. 

And here is the hideous, hateful post that launched sic’s comments. I hope posters can see how this bitter fat man distorts people’s view so he can get his daily high 

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I read lots of stuff which reminds me of all the hype that accompanied Gelant a few years ago. I have seen relatively little of this chap  but the first two tries by the Jaguars were down to feeble Fassi tackles. I’m unconvinced about his defence and decision making.

Also,  Esterhozen seems to be much more assertive this year. On this form he looks to replace Dud Allende come the tests 

And here’s the broader point I was trying to make…..crazy hey?

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Goosen, JJ, Swiel, Papier, Gelant, Dyantyi, Stepfontein, Rohan Nel, Elton Jantjies, Combrink, Vorster.......all hyped up the gazoo. Not one of them has made a meaningful contribution to the Bok cause.

Instead the heroes were Pollard, Faf, Kolbe, Mapimpi, Am.....guys who had some support, but never the flavor of the day support a guy like Goosen enjoyed.

Test rugby examines the whole player and if there are any systematic weaknesses ....they are exploited. Fassi is not that different to Goosen as an example.....the same physical type. We will have to see if the same concerns emerge. Basis the first two Jaguars tries ....they might.

Ummm . . . that's not the legendary thread, that's a thread you started . . . probably in the hope that people wouldn't find the original where you embarrassed yourself and performed the deepest dive in board history.

LMAO!

Some selected quotes:

"I read lots of stuff which reminds me of all the hype that accompanied Gelant a few years ago. I have seen relatively little of this chap  but the first two tries by the Jaguars were down to feeble Fassi tackles. I’m unconvinced about his defence and decision making."

"Test rugby examines the whole player and if there are any systematic weaknesses ....they are exploited. Fassi is not that different to Goosen as an example.....the same physical type. We will have to see if the same concerns emerge. Basis the first two Jaguars tries ....they might."

"Get real Fassi has a defensive problem which needs to be sorted."

"And I would call his 66% tackle success rate ‘alarming’."

But the really funny part of that thread is where Moffie makes one his typical bullshit allegations and then gets called out to prove it and runs away like the trembling coward he is. Go check it out and see for yourselves. It's all still there. Moffie is so drunk he doesn't know if he's talking about Jaguares or the Reds.

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaahahahahahaha!

Ready to answer my questions on that thread yet, Moffie?

It’s the same thread…..I’ll post it again and wait for your apology

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Ummm . . . that's not the legendary thread, that's a thread you started . . . probably in the hope that people wouldn't find the original where you embarrassed yourself and performed the deepest dive in board history.

LMAO!

Some selected quotes:

"I read lots of stuff which reminds me of all the hype that accompanied Gelant a few years ago. I have seen relatively little of this chap  but the first two tries by the Jaguars were down to feeble Fassi tackles. I’m unconvinced about his defence and decision making."

You could have fooled me Einstein:

Sep 30, 2024, 16:36

And here is the hideous, hateful post that launched sic’s comments. I hope posters can see how this bitter fat man distorts people’s view so he can get his daily high 

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I read lots of stuff which reminds me of all the hype that accompanied Gelant a few years ago. I have seen relatively little of this chap  but the first two tries by the Jaguars were down to feeble Fassi tackles. I’m unconvinced about his defence and decision making.

Let’s see 

I =I

read=read

lots=lots

Where are you sic…..is this the deep, deep dive or are you still working on your apology.

Waaaaaaahahaha…. yet another foot shoot, just another case where you leave me laughing. Keep it up clown!