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RISING STARS: 3 Players who stuck their hands up in the Rugby Championship

football04 October 2024 08:21| © SuperSport
By:Brenden Nel
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Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu © Gallo Images

While the dust has now settled in what has to be the most dominant Springbok campaign in the Rugby Championship in history, coach Rassie Erasmus has succeeded with not only blooding a number of new stars, but by winning the tournament at the same time.

The relentless renewal and focus on success has been a pleasure to watch and while 11 players have made their debuts for the Boks this year, with an eye on defending their title in Australia in 2027, we thought it only right to highlight some of those who have not only caught the eye but have staked a claim for permanent inclusion in the Bok squad as the season rolls on.

So while we thought of selecting a rookie of the year, the overwhelming dominance of the Boks and the claim of these three players left us with an option of rather celebrating them all, than deciding to crown one as the best.

So here they are, our three players who have staked big claims in the Rugby Championship.

Aphelele Fassi

Two seasons ago, Fassi’s elevation to the Bok scene was stopped dead in his tracks. While it was never said publicly, the Sharks fullback was sent back to his franchise to work on his defensive frailties. While always a star on attack, with a scything run that can cause nightmares for any defence, Fassi’s defence wasn’t his strong point.

 But far from letting doubt overcome him, he took the hard, long road and worked on his frailties, and started putting in performances that caught the eye of the Bok coaches again. While he missed out on the World Cup and Damian Willemse was installed as Willie le Roux’s successor, Fassi continued working hard and never gave up.

And that was rewarded when the Boks recalled him this year and he played a massive part in the Rugby Championship, with his pinnacle being the two tries he scored in the Nelspruit rout of Argentina last weekend.

 

 

Fassi said afterwards the Sharks coaches had helped him regain his confidence and work on his flaws.

“I wouldn’t say I lost hope in getting back into the squad, but I give credit to the Sharks coaches they put me into a great mental space,” he said.

“When you have a dream and then you are told to go work on certain things, you start to doubt yourself.

“The Sharks’ coaches helped me in the sense of saying ‘Don’t doubt yourself, you can do it’ and helping me gain confidence by training those things that I lacked and then switching my mentality to knowing that whatever I do, it doesn’t need to be negative even if it’s just getting onto the next job.”

Fassi missed out on the Brisbane rout of Australia but was first on the scoreboard in Perth, where the Boks made several changes and got his moment of glory when a turnover ball was swiftly moved down the backline by his teammates.

With a two-on-one, Makazole Mapimpi expertly grubbered the ball ahead so that the “weekend special” could swoop in and collect, sliding over the tryline to the delight of Bok fans.

It was clear then, if it wasn’t already. That Fassi was back.

 

 

A surprise selection against the All Blacks in Joburg, Fassi was yellow carded early in the game in a moment he would want to forget, but then returned stronger, making two exceptional linebreaks as the Boks held out for a 31-27 win.

While he missed out on the Cape Town game with Willie le Roux playing in the 18-12 win to complete the double over the All Blacks, he was again the opening try scorer in the narrow loss in Santiago del Estero, where he capitalised on an exceptional backline positioning to run straight and score the Boks first try.

That was followed by two more, almost in similar fashion, in Nelspruit as Fassi put his hand up for a spot for this season and beyond, and looked to have bounced back from all the disappointment of his first stint with the Boks.

For that, and so much more, he deserves the nod.

 

 

Ruan Nortje

The Vodacom Bulls captain has been one of the biggest workhorses in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship over the past few years but had only one game - the Wales test in Bloemfontein - under his belt to claim to be a Springbok.

And it looked as if he had missed out again when the Bok squad for the July internationals, and the Rugby Championship were named and his name wasn’t there. But a string of injuries at lock, and the chances he got, gave him the chance to make a name for himself when others were talking about a “lock crisis”.

Nortje may have had one or two shaky starts, but overall his performance was everything the Boks were looking for. He won the most lineouts in the Rugby Championship overall - his primary job and was often at the top of stats lists.

 

 

Nortje may not be as flashy as some other locks in the tournament, but he knows what his role is and he buckles down and leads by example.

As his provincial coach Jake White tells it, he is the ultimate story of what can be achieved through determination and hard work.

“Ruan is a success story if you ever want to hear one,” White said.

“He came from a small school, he wasn’t a provincial player as a junior, he basically came in as a late developer through university, and now he’s played the All Blacks and beaten them in a test match

“He’s incredibly disciplined. He trains hard. He works hard and puts incredible amounts of detail in. I don’t think people are aware that he has his own laptop and analysis system so he works hours and hours behind the scenes on his game and lineouts, and that’s why I think he can contribute like he does into the Springbok set-up.”

Getting his start in Perth, Nortje immediately made an impact, making 10 tackles - one behind Marco van Staden as he put his defensive prowess on display. After a shaky start in the lineouts, by the time the game finished he had commanded the setpiece and was applauded all round for his efforts.

 

 

Second again in the tackling stakes - this time only to Pieter-Steph du Toit - Nortje had another solid game against the All Blacks in Johannesburg, while in Cape Town he was the game’s top tackler with 16. And played a handy part in both victories as well. In Joburg he carried 14 metres and beat one defender while in Santiago del Estero he had a solid game with another seven tackles, 20 metres made, five carries, a clean break and beating one defender. Not bad for a tight forward.

And in Nelspruit, nine carries netted 20 metres, as well as one offload, and another 10 tackles - the joint highest in a dominant display once again.

Nortje will have a lot of competition once the injuries subside, but for now, he has earned the respect of those in the jersey and if he continues this way, the future looks bright.

 

 

Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu

The whirlwind season for Feinberg-Mngomezulu had his name on everyone’s lips this year as he burst onto the scene and made a massive name for himself with his play during the Wales and Ireland series.  

But while his impact was not as profound in the Rugby Championship, and he missed the final two games because of injury, Feinberg-Mngomezulu remains one of the players of the season just because of his incredible talent and the bright future he has.

So much so that earlier this year Erasmus commented that he was “Captaincy material” after coming through the ranks and the SA A tour, which helped him make the step up to the Boks.

“Sometimes one underestimates those SA ‘A’ tours and just looks at the results. For a team just to get together on those SA ‘A’ tours, although they lost against Munster and Bristol, getting those guys under a certain pressure with new coaches, you get to know the players,” Erasmus said in answer to the question.

“He trained with us at the Springboks with full-on contact sessions and you could see the character of the guy. Obviously, we know him from our systems and our junior programmes. He’s captaincy material.”’

 

 

But while the eagerness has dented his rise somewhat when he concealed an injury during the two tests against the All Blacks, and that injury has now turned into a bit of a nightmare, meaning he will miss the end of year tour, Feinberg-Mngomezulu is not going anywhere and is very much on the Bok radar for the future.

Still, he upset his coach by concealing an injury in a team-environment that thrives on honesty.

“Sacha will only be ready for the end-of-year tour. He injured his knee before the first test against the All Blacks and he played in that game,” Erasmus said.

“The next Wednesday, I asked him why he was limping and he said he injured his knee last week. I wanted to pull him out of that team because he was limping, on the field even.

“That’s what our players must understand; we have respect for everybody, but we must be honest when it comes to injuries.

“Nobody who’s got an injury and is 80 per cent ready is better than a Springbok who has no injuries and is 100 per cent ready. So Sacha is lucky that we won those test matches because he gambled a bit.

 

 

“He is having the operation now. I’m not sure exactly what is wrong with the knee but he will only be ready in four and a half weeks.”

As we have subsequently learned, that four and half weeks is now 10 weeks, and Sacha will miss the tour.

But it doesn’t undermine his value to the team and while youthful mistakes can be excused, he remains a massive talent for the future.

Feinberg-Mngomezulu had a massive game in Brisbane against Australia, carrying seven times for 34 metres, but in the process had one clean break and beat three defenders, had one offload and one try assist to his name, and passed 15 times on a night where the Boks dominated. But even on defence where his channel was heavily targeted, he made 12 tackles - a massive amount for a 10, while missing four. And in the process also won a turnover.

Move to Perth, where in the rain his performance was quieter, given the tough conditions as the Bok forwards took control of the game. This time his attack stats were negigible on a night where box kicks were the norm, but he still made seven tackles, missing only one.

Against the All Blacks in Johannesburg he was again on song. Seven carries netted 63 metres, four defenders beaten and a total of 16 points with the boot. On defence seven tackles with no misses as he stood firm against the Kiwi onslaught.

In Cape Town, where we now know he was struggling with an injury, and played off the bench, he still made an impact. Four carries netted 51 metres made, one clean break and three defenders beaten. Appearing on the field in the 53rd minute, he wasn’t troubled on defence, having just two tackles, and making one turnover.

As he continues to grow, mistakes will happen, but the gem of the 2024 season has given Rassie more options in the backline and will continue on his journey to the top.

 

 

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