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Watch: Shocking aerial collision that sent Sharks fullback Fassi into a 360-cartwheel ends with red card for Stormers wing
Promising Sharks fullback Aphelele Fassi has luckily avoided serious injury after being sent a full into a 360-degree aerial cartwheel after a dangerous challenge from Stormers wing Seabelo Senatla.
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The pair came into contact during an aerial contest, with the Stormers wing recklessly charging into Fassi’s legs right after the fullback had lept into the air to take the catch.
Senatla didn’t appear to have his eye on the ball while charging into the Sharks’ fullback. The collision sent Fassi into a wild tailspin, flipping completely over to land on his back.
The 23-year-old, who was one of the breakout stars of the original Super Rugby season in 2020, narrowly avoided landing on his head or neck in what would have been catastrophic.
Irish analyst and coach Bernard Jackman shared the clip that has gone viral on Twitter and wrote ‘horrible incident and lucky there was no serious injury caused’.
Here is the Red card for the Stormers earlier against the Sharks. Horrible incident and lucky there was no serious injury caused #RainbowCupSA pic.twitter.com/3leCkr7SRG
— Bernard Jackman (@bernardjackman) May 1, 2021
Fans were shocked and left feeling sick that only luck avoided a serious injury for the Sharks fullback. One fan wrote ‘Mother of God, could easily have come down on his head’ while another described the incident as ‘inches away from being a tragedy’.
One Stormers fan, who described himself as a big fan of Senatla, said it was an ‘inexcusable’ act that deserved a ban after what could have ended Fassi’s career and worse.
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Never understood how some professional wingers get it so wrong , if you keep your eyes on the ball all times and compete properly there no chance of tackling someone mid air ,appreciate there can be collisions but no compete is piss poor and a red card is criminal at that level
— Nathan Brown (@brownybiglip) May 2, 2021
Mother of God, could easily have come down on his head
— mick keane (@micksterk) May 1, 2021
Inches away from being a tragedy. Terrible
— Willie M (@flying_cabbage) May 1, 2021
That’s brutal….lucky , could have been serious damage done
— Jay (@leinsterJay) May 2, 2021
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The fact that the offending player was back on the pitch 20 mins later is a joke. Not a fan of this 20 min red card at all.
— Finbar Dowling (@finbardowling) May 1, 2021
That deserved a red 100%. I have a theory though, leinster and Munster rugby fans haven't endured any controversial red cards this season. There's a very fine line between some of the tackles and "rugby incidents" that ive witnessed over the season. Punished only for some clubs.
— P Cuddy (@p_cuddy) May 1, 2021
That’s a game of inches. Between wheelchair and baking ok. God awful stuff
— The Jackdaw (@TheJackdaw4) May 1, 2021
Red all day. May not have been malicious, but could have been career-ending if Fassi had landed even slightly differently. This is why I'm not a fan of the 20 minute replacement rule. Players need to know the team will face serious repercussions if they do something this stupid.
— Belinda Glenn (@girlfrommarsza) May 2, 2021
It's reckless, it's dangerous, it's stupid, it smacks of situational unawareness…red card and a ban. Lifelong Stormers fan and big Senatla fan, but this is inexcusable. Could've ended Fassi's career on the spot. No man.
— Bernard Mostert (@the_bernster) May 2, 2021
Senatla was red-carded for the incident but a new red card law meant that he could be replaced after 20-minutes.
The introduction of red cards for high tackles has muddied the original purpose of the red card, which originally was a punishment for outright dangerous acts of foul and malicious play, whereas high tackles are dangerous but unintentional.
The new trial law has been brought in to seemingly avoid a contest becoming one-sided after receiving a red card as the number of punishable offences has risen with the directive to crack down on high tackles.
But under the new rules, a player caught performing a deliberate act of foul play such as stomping or eye-gouging could potentially be replaced after serving 20-minutes on the sideline.
Many believed Senatla’s act was so dangerous it was deserving of his side being put down to 14-men for the entire match, but the Stormers were able to eventually put 15 men back on the field.
The Sharks were able to win the contest 33-30 but had the Stormers been reduced to 14-men for the rest of the match the margin may have been a lot wider.
Comments on RugbyPass
A lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
3 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
1 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
2 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
2 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
3 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
2 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
4 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
21 Go to commentsJake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
21 Go to commentsNZ rugby seem not to have learnt anything from professional rugby. Super rugby was dying and SA left before they died with the competition. SA rugby did a u turn on their approach to international players playing overseas and such players are now selected for Bok teams. As much as each country would love to retain their players playing in local competitions, this is the way the world is evolving my friends. Move with it or stay 20 years behind the times. One more thing. NZ rugby hierarchy think they are the big cheese. Take a more humble approach guys. You do not seem to have your players best interests at heart.
3 Go to commentsBeaches? In Cardiff? Where?
1 Go to commentsHe is right , the Crusaders will be a threat. Scott Barrett, ( particularly), Fergus Burke , Codie Taylor, ( from sabbatical) etc due back soon for the Crusaders. There are others like Zach Gallagher too. People can right the Crusaders off, Top 8 , here we come !!
1 Go to commentsWe will always struggle for money to match the other sides but the least the WRU can do is invest properly in Welsh rugby. Too much has been squandered on vanity projects like the hotel and roof walk amongst others which will never see a massive return. Hanging the 4 pro sides out to dry over the last decade is now coming back to bite the WRU financially as well as on the pitch. You reap what you sow.
1 Go to commentsWhat do you get if you cross a doctor with a fish? A plastic sturgeon
14 Go to commentsWhat happened to feleti Kaitu’u? Hasnt played in a while right?
1 Go to commentsGregor I just can’t agree with you. You are trying to find something that just isn’t there. Jordie Barrett has signed until 2028. By the end of that he would have spent probably 11-12 years on Super Rugby and you say he can’t possibly have one season playing somewhere else. It is absurd. What about this scenario, the NZR play hard ball and he decides to leave and play overseas. How would that affect the competition. There seems to be an agenda by certain journalists to push certain agendas and don’t like it when it’s not to their liking. I fully support the NZR on this. Gregor needs to get a life.
3 Go to commentsHope he stays as believe he can do a great job.
1 Go to commentsMake what step up? Manie has a World Cup winner’s medal around his neck and changed the way the Springboks can play. He doesn’t have anything to prove to anyone. The win record of the Boks with him in the team is tremendous. Sacha can be wonderful and I hope he has a very succesful Bok career, but comparing him to Manie in terms of the next Bok flyhalf is very strange. Manie is the incumbent (not the next) and doing pretty incredibly.
4 Go to comments