SHOOTING STAR: Sacha's rise is everything his grandfather fought for

There was a moment when Springbok shooting star Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu stopped, and broke into emotional tears during his first press conference as a Bok player.

It was a moment that the well-spoken, confident youngster could not ignore. A moment when the emotion overflowed within him and broke through.

The moment was about his grandfather - Anti-Apartheid icon Barry Feinberg, who passed away before achieving his dream of seeing his talented grandson put on the Green and Gold and make his debut for the Springboks.

“He would have been proud,” Feinberg-Mngomezulu uttered through the tears, “it was everything he fought for.”

Feinberg-Mngomezulu truly felt the weight of his grandfather’s legacy and the full circle of a family who fled the country because of Apartheid, only to see two generations later the youngest step up as the newest icon of the Springbok brand - a brand now virtually unrecognisable from the way it was in Barry Feinberg’s days.

SATURDAY MORNING COFFEE AND RUGBY

Feinberg was the rock in Sacha's rugby life. Along with his dad Nick, a well-known radio man in Cape circles, they would grab a cup of coffee and head down to the school fields to watch young Sacha play.

It was the highlight of Barry’s week. For a grandfather watching his grandson play on the fields in the Cape, decades after he had to flee to escape the brutality of a system that oppressed millions, this was what made it all worth it.

Feinberg - an artist, poet and author of several books - spent 30 years in exile, was a founder of the ANC’s Cultural Ensemble, and - according to his friend and former government minister Ronnie Casrils “a tireless backroom worker designing the movement’s publicity. Many of the African Communist and Sechaba journals' most striking cover designs were his work; as were the layout and graphic designs of ANC and SACP clandestine leaflets and literature distributed in South Africa. He created the early ANC and Umkhonto We Sizwe logos – the warrior with shield and spear is still used today.”

Sacha’s dad - Nick - spoke glowingly of his father and the impact that he had on the family.

🗣️ "I asked for that ball from Pieter-Steph and he said 'slaan hom!'"

Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu on his impressive penalty kick against Wales this weekend 🦵 pic.twitter.com/XPG87QOamf

— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) June 27, 2024

“He used to be at all Sacha’s game and Sacha was aware of his politics and what he gave the liberation movement and everything that he fought for. And Sacha’s journey was everything that he fought for - for a black kid to come through the system and attend a decent school and make it into the national team.

"That is the South African dream. It was the big thing that Sacha always wanted, and my dad wanted to see him in the Green and Gold.

“I think the timing of his death hit us hard,” Nick Feinberg added, in reference to Barry never fulfilling the dream of seeing his grandson play.

DESTINED FOR GREATER THINGS

In so many ways it almost seemed Sacha was destined for greater things.

The kid who had to choose between football and rugby, and ultimately chose the latter, went for trials at Ajax Cape Town as a youngster. But the oval ball, with all its physicality, always was a drawcard.

“I remember when we were at under-13 Western Province trials, they used the WP change rooms and he was so impressed that the changeroom had a massage bed, that his kit was hung up against the wall and he got energy drinks. It never left him,” Nick laughs when reminiscing.

“But more than that, in rugby there was always hope. And that was important to him.”

The talk surrounding the schoolboy star grew as time went on - so much so that Nick recalls how Saracens, Leicester Tigers and Wasps all sent delegations to meet the family and try and convince him to take his career to England.

It was a shrewd move from them, as Nick was born in England, and as such Sacha could qualify for England if he wanted to.

“They came with some lucrative offers to try and tempt him, but he was never interested,” Nick remembers.

“He always wanted to stay here in Cape Town. He was blessed to be born in Cape Town and he plays for a really good franchise and now for the World Champions. What more could he want?”

MAKE AN IMPRESSION

And Sacha knew how to make an impression. The former Bishops’ scholar made it clear on arrival at Western Province that he wasn’t going to wait for a chance to play, as his coach at the Stormers’ John Dobson recalls. Dobson agrees that the similarities with Damian Willemse are closer than many would believe.

“We played Sacha as an under-19 player at a Toyota Challenge match at flyhalf. He made 21 tackles. Now there is no defence system in the world that requires a flyhalf to make 21 tackles. The similarities to Gazza (Damian Willemse) is incredible.

“The amazing competitiveness, desperation to win, 'no respect for their own bodies' type-player' - which is probably why he has had the injury profile that he had. Neither him nor Damian - while they are amazing steppers and great with ball in hand, it is not what their core is.

Their core is rugby games, and trying to compete and fight. The highlight reels are great, but that isn’t what Sacha is about. He wants to tackle, carry, smash. He was born for this sport.

“He has a very cool head in the way he thinks and sees the game, but not so cool when it comes to being involved physically. He is very tough on himself, he doesn’t like losing - his injuries take a big toll on him because he is so desperate to succeed in rugby.”

DESPERATION A LIABILITY

That desperation has seen him take more contact than is necessary and it is clear that while he is an incredible young talent, he still has much to learn before he becomes the finished product. 

Yet, that is where the environment like the Springboks can be so beneficial to him. The rapid rise that has accompanied Sacha is both a blessing and a curse. To achieve long-term goals he needs to work hard, but the competitiveness and drive is there.

So much so that Sacha himself understands already the importance right now to learn and work on his faults in order to get better. The rollercoaster ride to the top is great, but it means little if you can’t stay at the top for a while.

“It has happened fast. I’ve had a few injuries and I’ve lacked some game time, which has been frustrating. It has meant I’ve been getting to understand the game on a deeper level, doing lots of analysis on my laptop,” he explained in his first Bok press conference.

“There is an expectation that comes with being Sacha but there are a lot of people that make Sacha - my parents, my friends, my family. The guys back at the Stormers, I give a lot of credit to them because as a youngster coming through the system it isn’t easy, especially playing at inside centre, where a lot of players are usually experienced. So I’ve had a fast two years, but it has been accompanied by some strong people.”

SPONGE MENTALITY

Rassie Erasmus and his coaching staff have always placed a massive emphasis on players learning from others. And that’s what Sacha is doing right now.

“Sponge mentality is me at the moment. I fully understand that I am the new boy in the system at the moment and I have a lot of work to do and a lot of things to fix. With the people around me I am certain that I will get that right,” he smiles.

“Even yesterday, when we were kicking, I was watching Willie (Le Roux) kick a ball and Handre (Pollard) kick a ball. Every repetition you pick up something, whether it is Jesse (Kriel) warming up or Handre kicking - it is an environment where there are learnings and invaluable experience. I am trying to sponge up as much as possible.

“I love playing flyhalf, but I also love playing rugby. Ten, twelve, fifteen, wherever it may be. A lot of time I spent in high school was working on my kicking. I feel like it has come through at flyhalf and using my boot is one part of rugby I enjoy.

“Trying to dictate the momentum of the game, it is a pressure that you want, that your team must look to you for direction and game management. That is something I enjoy but at the same time getting minutes on the park in any position is amazing.

“I’m the last guy determined to get one position. Any time I can get time on the field I will take it, and do what the boss says.”

COOL, CALM AND COLLECTED

His 54 metre penalty kick was eased through the posts with the calmness of a seasoned professional, but you’d struggle to find someone more comfortable to talk about a moment that made many sit up and take notice.

“Those sort of kicks - we work on that and you get to understand your range and the distance you can kick. So when you take the ball to take a kick, it is not supposed to be a gamble, it is supposed to be a trust thing. One thing they have got right at the Springboks is that they trust you.

“I asked Pieter-Steph du Toit for the ball and he said “Slaan hom” (hit it) and I kicked it over. As I said after the game Tony Brown had helped me and my kicking coach at the Stormers (Gareth Wright).

"All these things come into play and when the kick comes it is just another day that happens to be in front of a lot of people, which is what we all want to experience.”

Right now Sacha is firmly grounded - “one of the boys” and lives in a commune with four mates in Cape Town. A far cry from his brother Nathan, who has garnered a lot of attention in the UK as a model and a reality show contestant on a show called Too Hot to Handle.

While Nathan is a self-described “international playboy”, Sacha’s eyes are focused firmly on rugby and making sure his stint in the Bok team is not a short one.

And at the moment he has the world at his feet, having made his debut for the Springboks and with virtually everyone in the game predicting a massive future for him.

As impressive as he is on the field, his first press conference only underlined that it is the same off the field as well.

And as long as he remains grounded, and focused on his goal, South Africa’s next superstar may have been unearthed.

With Grandfather Barry’s dreams that he fought so hard for being realised through Sacha’s talent.