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Sharks fullback Complete Fassi The shoulder injury was severe enough to require surgery and will keep him out of action for the rest of the year.
That was confirmed by Sharks coach Sean Everitt at Loftus on Saturday after the Sharks fell to a 49-28 preseason loss to the Bulls in what was the first televised rugby game in South Africa in six months.
The Sharks were flying high at the top of the Super Rugby record when the 2020 tournament was called off in late March as a result of the coronavirus, but they currently have a number of players who were critical to that success and are unavailable.
Fassi is one of them, while wingers Makazole Mapimpi (playing in Japan) and Sbu Nkosi (injured) are also not currently available to the Sharks.
It means the Sharks currently do not have their three first-choice defenders, but there is also good news on the injury front with loose forward James Venter, who is also highly qualified for the Durbanites in Super Rugby this year, just rested. this past weekend as a precautionary measure.
“James took a hit to the head during training. It’s not that bad, but we didn’t want to risk it in a game like this,” Everitt said.
“Henco Venter has also overcome his quadruple tension and we didn’t want to risk it either.
“Madosh Tambwe and Boeta Chamberlain should be available for the Lions game and hopefully they will go through full training next week.
“Unfortunately, Aphelele Fassi has been on the sidelines for a while and underwent shoulder surgery. She could be out for two to three months.”
On Saturday’s result and performance, Everitt regretted his team’s ability to win aerial contests and guard the ball in attack, but was confident there was time to improve before Super Rugby Unlocked begins on October 10.
– Compiled by Lloyd Burnard
