Springbok rugby’s shooting star Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu may be the name on every rugby fan’s lips at the moment, but he received possibly the most important compliment of all from coach Rassie Erasmus on Tuesday: He is a future Springbok captain.
Erasmus, the coach who has won two World Cups with the Springboks and will coach the side as they head down under for the opening two games of the Castle Lager Rugby Championship, has rated Feinberg-Mngomezulu for a long time and gave him his test debut earlier this season against Wales at Twickenham.
Since then the young Stormers star has looked at home in the position, having to play 78 minutes against Ireland in the second test after fullback Willie le Roux had to leave the field with concussion.
Against Portugal in Bloemfontein he made a second half appearance for Manie Libbok and had a sensational game, looking more and more at home in the jersey.
When asked about his form and future, Erasmus smiled, and credited the SA A tour in 2022 for a chance to get Feinberg-Mngomezulu into the Bok frame earlier. On that tour the Bok understudies lost against Munster and Bristol, but Feinberg-Mngomezulu was given a chance to gain experience at international level.
“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.”
A BRIGHT FUTURE
Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s rise has been one of the talking points of the international season and as he can play at 10, 12 and 15, there is a desire to make sure he is on the field for the Boks to continue his development.
But one part that hasn’t been talked about was his appearance against Portugal at 12, where he has excelled for the Stormers in the past.
Erasmus recounted the moments he played alongside veteran Lukhanyo Am against Portugal and said it gave the Boks a lot more options when it comes to selection going forward.
“You put him in at full-back when Willie got injured and we only lost a game by a drop-goal, and it was not because of the way he played. It’s always nice to put a player in alongside a lot of experienced players,” he said.
“We were all pleasantly surprised when we were down to 14 men, with Lukhanyo playing 12 and him playing 10 in the second half.
“Not that Manie didn’t play well, I thought Manie had glimpses of brilliance when we were down to 14 men from the second minute. Sacha next to Lukhanyo at 12 was very interesting. One must recognise that it’s Portugal, a tier two team that played away from home, but he’s a natural talent.
“None of us sitting here can argue about that, it’s just about how he takes the next step, and how we manage him and help him to take the next step, so I think he’s got a bright future.”
And Erasmus has that very much front and centre, having recounted a number of times the tale of Gaffie du Toit, the promising Bok flyhalf who was thrown in the deep end against the All Blacks in 1999 and was discarded shortly afterwards, playing just 14 tests for the Boks.
With all the youngsters in the squad, and not only Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Erasmus has pledged to pave their path forward that they can grow as players and develop into the international stars that the Boks need them to be, and the young Stormers player is no different on this count.
While he may be the player many Bok fans want to see play every test match, the growth element is key to his longevity and the Boks know that - especially if Erasmus sees him in the role of leading the side in the future.