Super charged: Big game, Aphelele Fassi set to shine

David Skippers

Making its return, we bring you Super charged, in which we preview the main talking points ahead of the upcoming Super Rugby action.

Game to watch – Hurricanes v Blues

Expect fireworks when two of the tournament’s in-form teams face off in Wellington on Saturday. Like all New Zealand sides, the Hurricanes and Blues employ expansive game plans so don’t be surprised if there is plenty of end-to-end action in this encounter.

After suffering a humiliating 27-0 defeat against the Stormers in their tournament opener, the Hurricanes have bounced back in recent weeks and registered successive victories against the Jaguares, Sharks and Sunwolves. Meanwhile, the Blues’ campaign started with a defeat against the Chiefs before beating the Waratahs in Round Two, but they tasted defeat again in their next match against the Crusaders.

That loss was a minor setback as they bounced back with excellent away wins over the Bulls and previously unbeaten Stormers in recent weeks. Despite those impressive results, Leon MacDonald’s charges will be the underdogs as they are currently on a nine-match losing streak against the Hurricanes, with their last victory registered in 2014.

The previous match between these sides was at the same venue last year and the Hurricanes claimed a deserved 29-24 triumph.

Player to watch – Aphelele Fassi (Sharks)

The Sharks have been one of the most impressive teams in this year’s tournament and Fassi has shone from the outset with several outstanding attacking performances. The full-back played mostly off the bench in 2019 but with Curwin Bosch shifted to his favoured fly-half position this year, Fassi has made the Sharks’ number 15 jersey his own.

The 22-year-old has been brilliant from the back since the Sharks’ opener against the Bulls and will be expected to give the Durban-based outfit much needed momentum when they take on the Jaguares at Kings Park on Saturday.

Fassi’s impact on Super Rugby has been superb as he is amongst the tournament’s leading players in most of the attacking statistics. He is currently in first position for metres carried (424), second for defenders beaten (27), fifth for clean breaks (eight) and seventh for carries (49). He will be determined to build on those statistics with another fine showing against the men from Buenos Aires.

One-v-one battle to watch – Jack Goodhue (Crusaders) v Hunter Paisami (Reds)

Even though the Reds have won just one out of five matches so far this season, it has not been through a lack of effort from Paisami, who has been one of his team’s star performers.

After Samu Kerevi’s departure for Japan at the end of 2019, there were concerns amongst Reds fans about finding a capable replacement for the Wallaby midfield back but Paisami has allayed their fears with several outstanding displays. The former Melbourne Rebels player has hit the ground running since joining the Brisbane-based franchise and cemented his place in head coach Brad Thorn’s starting line-up.

On Friday, the Reds take on the Crusaders in Christchurch and the 21-year-old faces his toughest test yet when he goes head-to-head with one of the world’s leading outside centres in Jack Goodhue. The All Black has played most of the Crusaders’ matches at inside centre this year and, although he has done well in that position, he has performed brilliantly with the number 13 jersey on his back and his duel with Paisami should be one of the highlights of this match.

Subplot to watch – Sunwolves hosting Brumbies in Australia

Apart from winning their tournament opener against the Rebels at the beginning of last month, little has gone right for the Sunwolves. Since that shock 36-27 triumph in Fukuoka, the Japanese outfit are yet to win again as they have suffered heavy defeats to the Chiefs, Reds and Hurricanes.

To make matters worse, the Tokyo-based franchise have been forced to relocate two of their matches due to fears over the coronavirus epidemic. The first of those takes place this weekend against the Brumbies in Wollongong as part of a double-header prior to the Waratahs versus Chiefs match. The Sunwolves’ Round Seven encounter against the Crusaders has also been moved and will now be played on Saturday, March 14 prior to the Reds versus Bulls match in Brisbane.

Being prevented from playing at home will be a setback for any team, especially in unique circumstances such as these, and it will be interesting to see how the Sunwolves players adapt in their new surroundings. They face a daunting task against the Brumbies this weekend as the men from Canberra have won all five previous matches in this fixture.

Best of the rest

In other action, the Waratahs will be keen to continue where they left off against the Lions last week when they host the Chiefs in Friday’s main fixture in Wollongong. Their win over the Lions was their first victory of the season and they will have to be at their best against the Chiefs, who have won the last two matches in this fixture.

And in Melbourne, the Rebels will be hoping to hand the Lions their second successive defeat on their Australasian tour when they meet in Melbourne on Saturday. That will be a tough ask, however, as the Lions are yet to lose against the Rebels after five matches played between these sides.

Elsewhere, in Pretoria, the bottom-placed Bulls, who are the only side yet to register a win in the tournament, take on the Highlanders, who have also made a slow start to their campaign with just one win under their belt.

Blues