By Gavin Rich.
The Cell C Sharks will be going into their crucial Vodacom United Rugby Championship clash with Ulster without the services of their star fullback Aphelele Fassi.
The Springbok left the field during the Sharks’ win over the Emirates Lions in Johannesburg at the weekend with a rib cartilage injury. Fortunately for the Sharks, the injury is not as bad as first feared, and the 25-year-old is expected back for the following week’s trip to Cape Town for the return clash with the Stormers team that beat them so comprehensively in Durban a few weeks ago.
However, he will definitely not be ready to face Ulster, and that’s a big blow as the Sharks go out in search of the win that will see them become more comfortable in their quest for the top seven spot that will ensure Heineken Champions Cup qualification. Of course, eighth place will be enough for a place in the URC playoffs, but the Sharks want more than that.
With the Stormers in Cape Town hardly being an easy proposition for the Sharks, they do need to do the business at home, particularly as their trips to Wales to play Scarlets after they play the Stormers is suddenly not the easy game that it was shaping up to be. Scarlets were struggling before they beat the Vodacom Bulls a few weeks ago, but followed up with a comprehensive win over Edinburgh at the weekend.
The Sharks’ Springboks will only be bled back into the system later in March, so the next three games are crucial.