The selection of Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu for his first Springbok start against Australia on Saturday may have come as a bombshell to some but the player who will be playing alongside him at the Suncorp Stadium is excited about the prospect.
The 22-year-old Stormers player has just four Bok caps, with his longest game time for his country in a big game being the 78 minutes he found himself filling in at fullback in the second test against Ireland in Durban after the injury to Willie le Roux.
The Castle Lager Rugby Championship opener in Brisbane will be his first start and thus also the first time he will wear the Bok No 10 jersey that this selection suggests may well be his at the next World Cup in Australia in 2027.
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu will start his first Test for the Springboks after a year of rugby that's had fans on the edge of their seats ✨📈 pic.twitter.com/6BW53KK657
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) August 6, 2024
Inside centre Damian de Allende is one of several experienced double World Cup winners in the backline who will be tasked with easing the path for Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
“I enjoy him. He is well spoken and has a lot of confidence, which I like,” said de Allende at the team announcement press conference on Tuesday.
“It is his first start in the Bok jersey so he will be nervous but I hope he will be nice and composed. If he is, then he will be exceptional. I will try to keep him composed because if he is composed and he plays his natural game he will be an amazing player to watch and will keep our forwards on the front foot.”
DIDN’T JUST DROP INTO THE SYSTEM
While he is being described as a new sensation and the find of the season, there is nothing about Feinberg-Mngomezulu that head coach Rassie Erasmus was not already aware of and the selection can be seen as the fulfilment of successful succession planning on the part of the Bok mentor.
“Sacha is a guy we know well. You will remember he was part of the South Africa A side we took overseas to play against Bristol and Munster a few seasons ago and he trained with the Boks then and he impressed us,” said Erasmus.
“He hasn’t just fallen into the system out of nowhere. Like Damian Willemse he came into the system off what he’s shown as a young player and after playing well for the Junior Boks. We are trying to build depth in all positions. In 2019 we really just had one No 9 when Herschel Jantjies burst onto the scene. We didn’t have this opportunity in 2020 (the year after the 2019 World Cup) because of Covid but we now have an opportunity to get guys from one level to another by playing them against tier two nations and off the bench.”
ENCOURAGED TO PLAY HIS NATURAL GAME
Like De Allende, the Bok head coach wants Mngomezulu to play his natural game against the Wallabies.
“What I expect from Sacha is that he work within the guidelines of how we want to play on defence and attack and then Sacha must bring Sacha to the table. I am looking for Sacha to bring what Sacha brings in the same way as Handre (Pollard) brings what Handre brings, and we know what Manie brings when he is on fire. We want to create an environment where Sacha can give full expression to his natural skills.”
Of course, should Feinberg-Mngomezulu misfire, Erasmus does have the safety net provided by having double World Cup winner Pollard on the bench.
“It is a big opportunity for Sacha, like it is for (No 8) Elrigh (Louw), and Grant Williams playing off the bench. There’s a bit of an injury concern around RG (Snyman), so we could also find ourselves giving Ruan (Nortje) a starting opportunity too. After a World Cup there are always guys knocking on the door, and we do have a guy like Handre covering on the bench. That is nice security.
“Damian (Willemse) is still out, we gave Jordan (Hendrikse) a chance and Manie is here with us so we have nice depth developing now at flyhalf. It is an exciting opportunity for Sacha and hopefully the forwards will make it a smooth game for him, which will be tough.”
NOT A CHANGING OF THE GUARD
However, while he acknowledged that the selection was being made with an eye on the future and in particular on the 2027 World Cup, Erasmus stopped short of saying it was a changing of the guard.
“It is definitely a sign of the future. As we say internally, we can’t look too far ahead and forget the present, but at the same time we can’t look too much at the present and forget about the future,” said the World Cup winning coach.
“I counted this morning that there are nine guys with us who were not regulars before last year’s World Cup, with new players being rotated in and out. I wouldn’t say it signifies a changing of the guard, it is about giving guys an opportunity while guys like Handre, Manie and others like Damian (de Allende) are there to help nurture them.
“This will be Sacha’s fifth international cap. I have often pointed out that no World Cup has been won by a team with a No 10 under the age of 24. So I’d rather give him some good experience now with proper backup and experienced guys like Damian playing alongside him.”
𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚: The Springbok team to face the Wallabies in the Rugby Championship opener has been announced 🇿🇦🚨 pic.twitter.com/k1tQpr7p1h
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) August 6, 2024