South African-born former France fullback Scott Spedding says Cheslin Kolbe and Aphelele Fassi can provide good competition for Willie le Roux’s Springbok fullback spot.
Spedding, who played 23 Test matches for France between 2014 and 2019 and over 150 matches in France’s Top 14, was speaking to Sport24 in a wide-ranging interview which also touched on the Springbok fullback options.
Le Roux has largely been the favoured player at No 15 since 2018, helping the Springboks win the World Cup and British & Irish Lions series, but has come under criticism for his recent error-prone performances last year.
The Springboks did give Aphelele Fassi his Test debut in 2021, but he played both of his two Test caps on the wing.
Kolbe, meanwhile, has also been mainly utilised as a wing with the Springboks, despite playing at fullback for both Toulouse and Toulon in the Top 14.
“I would like to have seen Aphelele Fassi get more of an opportunity on the end-of-year tour in 2021,” Spedding told Sport24. “I’m also a big fan of Kolbe and I think he’s a fantastic fullback. With the wing options we’ve got in South Africa, it might not be a bad option to move him to fullback.
“It’s not about neglecting Le Roux or throwing him away. The best thing for him may be to reset and have competition. There are good options for South Africa’s back three and they just need to be well calculated. Depending on the opponents and conditions, they could mix and match their back three.”
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