In a rather unflattering display, Aphelele Fassi and Canan Moodie were put under the microscope by none other than Nick Mallett after the Springboks' nail-biter against the Wallabies in Cape Town. Despite the team's recovery from their previous stumble at Ellis Park, these two young bucks found themselves in hot water.
During a critical dissection on "Talking Boks," Mallett didn't mince words about the duo's performance. "I don’t think Fassi had a great game, and I also don’t think Canan Moodie had his best game on Saturday," he commented, suggesting that a sharper showing from them could've eased the tension of the match. The two, according to Mallett, were "a bit under pressure" which seemingly contributed to their blunders.
The defensive strategy—or lack thereof—was particularly panned by Mallett in the run-up to Corey Toole's try, sparked by a clever little grubber from Nic White.
"I wasn’t sure what our positioning was. Why was there not a fullback? He might have been in position out wide, but the moment they get the penalty, your fullback’s got to get behind the set piece as quickly as possible. And we didn’t do it."
Mallett's critique didn't end there; he highlighted Moodie's missed tackle and struggles with the high ball, alongside Fassi's costly yellow card.
"They just need to sharpen up. Those backline players, unfortunately, get shown up when you make errors."
It was clear that Mallett sees room for substantial improvement. He pointed to seasoned players like Cheslin Kolbe, Damian de Allende, and Handré Pollard as examples to emulate, noting their minimal mistakes. "The mark of a really good backline player is an error-free game. It’s not about how many brilliant moves you do," Mallett advised.
As the Boks set their sights on Auckland, ready to take on Eden Park, the lessons from Cape Town will surely be ringing in Fassi and Moodie's ears. The hope? That they can turn critique into class, under the high stakes of the international spotlight.
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In a rather unflattering display, Aphelele Fassi and Canan Moodie were put under the microscope by none other than Nick Mallett after the Springboks' nail-biter against the Wallabies in Cape Town. Despite the team's recovery from their previous stumble at Ellis Park, these two young bucks found themselves in hot water.
During a critical dissection on "Talking Boks," Mallett didn't mince words about the duo's performance. "I don’t think Fassi had a great game, and I also don’t think Canan Moodie had his best game on Saturday," he commented, suggesting that a sharper showing from them could've eased the tension of the match. The two, according to Mallett, were "a bit under pressure" which seemingly contributed to their blunders.
The defensive strategy—or lack thereof—was particularly panned by Mallett in the run-up to Corey Toole's try, sparked by a clever little grubber from Nic White.
"I wasn’t sure what our positioning was. Why was there not a fullback? He might have been in position out wide, but the moment they get the penalty, your fullback’s got to get behind the set piece as quickly as possible. And we didn’t do it."
Mallett's critique didn't end there; he highlighted Moodie's missed tackle and struggles with the high ball, alongside Fassi's costly yellow card."They just need to sharpen up. Those backline players, unfortunately, get shown up when you make errors."
It was clear that Mallett sees room for substantial improvement. He pointed to seasoned players like Cheslin Kolbe, Damian de Allende, and Handré Pollard as examples to emulate, noting their minimal mistakes. "The mark of a really good backline player is an error-free game. It’s not about how many brilliant moves you do," Mallett advised.As the Boks set their sights on Auckland, ready to take on Eden Park, the lessons from Cape Town will surely be ringing in Fassi and Moodie's ears. The hope? That they can turn critique into class, under the high stakes of the international spotlight.