Du Preez And Fassi Raring To Go Against The BaaBaas
Springbok loose forward Jean-Luc du Preez and fullback Aphelele Fassi were visibly excited about facing the Barbarians in the Qatar Airways Cup in Cape Town on Saturday after the team wrapped up their main training block of the week in soaking wet and cold conditions in the Mother City.
The players had Thursday off to rest before adding the finishing touches to their game at Friday’s captains’ run.
The match will mark Du Preez’s first start in the green and gold since 2018 and his first appearance for the Boks in almost two years, something he was thrilled about, even though it is not an official Test match.
“Playing for the Springboks again has always been in the back of my mind, and my plan was always to give my best for my club in the hope that I make it back into the team, so I’m delighted to get this opportunity again,” said Du Preez.
“It is a massive privilege, so I plan to go out there and give it my best.”
DuPreez will be partnering up with Vincent Tshituka and Springbok Marco van Staden, who replaced the injured Siya Kolisi, in a physical loose trio.
Aphelele Fassi was equally thrilled about reuniting with Kurt-Lee Arendse and Cheslin Kolbe in an exciting back-three combination.
“It’s fantastic to play with them,” said Fassi. “We’ve played together a fair bit, so we know each other well, and I’m looking forward to playing with them again.”
Zoning in on the Barbarians touring squad, both players anticipated an exciting challenge, but stressed that the team was solely focused on the boxes they want to tick going into the Castle Lager Incoming Series, which features Tests against Italy and Georgia in July.
“The Barbarians enjoy putting up a good display for the crowd, and we expect players like Sam Cane and Shannon Frizell to come hard at us,” said Du Preez. “There is no doubt that many of their players will want to prove a point against the Boks.”
Fassi echoed these sentiments: “We have a good idea about the Barbarians set-up, and we know they like to throw the ball around, but the focus for us will be to stick to our structures and play the way we want to play.
“We are approaching this as a Test match, and we’ve trained that way all week, so although we have freedom as players to make decisions on the field, we’ll certainly do so within our systems.”
The match, which will be played at the iconic DHL Stadium, kicks off at 17:10 and will be broadcast live on SuperSport. Tickets are available from Ticketmaster.
