Those who associate Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu with flamboyance and super confidence might have felt they were looking at a different animal when the returning Springbok flyhalf faced the media in an online press conference call from Buenos Aires on Tuesday night.
The 24-year-old is playing his first test of the year against the same Argentina team that he dazzled and beat almost single-handedly on his way to a record haul of individual points for a Bok in a single game, 37, which included a hat-trick of tries, in a Castle Lager Rugby Championship match in Durban 11 months ago.
So it was natural for him to be asked if the Los Pumas were the perfect team for him to be facing in his return from an injury that has kept him out of rugby since the end of May. After all, he had them in the palm of his hand last time he played them.
Except that Feinberg-Mngomezulu was quick to correct the questioner. Memories are short, but not Sacha’s - they say you remember your last game the longest, and the Hollywoodbets Kings Park fixture was not in fact the last time he played against the Pumas.
“To be honest brother, the last game I played against Argentina we won by only two points and it was not my greatest game,” said Feinberg-Mngomezulu, referencing the final Rugby Championship clash against the Pumas in London.
MEMORIES OF TWICKENHAM SHOULD TEMPER EXPECTATIONS
In that match, played a week after the 67-30 win at Hollywoodbets Kings Park, the Boks edged home 29-27 at Twickenham after Argentina elected to play their home Championship clash at the neutral venue. It wasn’t really as close as that scoreline suggests, for the Pumas scored a consolation try off the last move of the game, but nonetheless it is a good reference point for the Boks if they feel the need to temper expectations.
And tempering expectations, both his own and those who will be supporting him, seemed to be Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s primary objective in his return press conference after missing the Bok start to the 2026 international season.
“That (Durban) game is a year ago now. Now it is about getting back (into rugby and the Bok swing of things) and building a foundation. In that last game I played against the Pumas in London they smoked me once or twice and they gave us a really good game,” he said.
NOT FOCUSING ON ALL BLACKS YET
Feinberg-Mngomezulu was equally reticent when asked about how much he was looking forward to playing against the All Blacks in the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series, which is where all the Bok roads are leading right now despite their rightful protestations that the Pumas are a foe to be respected and that this test needs to be regarded as a stand alone rather than as a warmup.
“With respect to your question, I can’t be thinking two weeks ahead. I have played the All Blacks four times now, but my immediate focus is on Argentina and the challenge we face here on Saturday,” said the flyhalf.
In other words it is a step by step approach, one he adopted when he was first hit with the reality that he would be out of rugby for three months following the injury he sustained after scoring a try for the Stormers against Cardiff in the URC quarterfinal in Cape Town back in May. It was an approach he made clear he feels helped him and may even have improved him as he prepares for his return.
“No injury is nice. Just finishing where we (the Stormers) did in the URC was very frustrating for me as it meant I wasn’t able to be there to help my team (in the semifinal against Leinster),” said Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
“It was even more frustrating missing the start of the season with the Boks. I spoke to members of the Bok management after it happened. It was disastrous when it happened but I am not one to dwell and I focused on areas of my game that I felt I needed to work on, aspects that maybe I never had time to think about before, and I think that has been good for me.”
VINDICATION OF DOBSON’S VIEW
Indeed, Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s club coach John Dobson said at the time of the injury that three months out of the game, giving him some time away from the whirlwind of public scrutiny, which has been both positive and negative, would be good for the flyhalf.
And listening to him speak, it appears Dobson was right - he’s coming back with his head wound in and with a clear perspective on what he needs to do and what his role is with the Boks.
“I went to watch the game against England (in Johannesburg) as a spectator and for me it was fascinating to watch just how good we are at making things work and how everything is geared towards facilitating the plan and getting it to work.
"Each player performs a function within a system. I don’t feel too far behind as I have been working really hard on my rehab.”
Feinberg-Mngomezulu will be helped on the occasion of his return to Bok duty by the presence of veteran Cobus Reinach, his halfback partner for much of last season at national level and also with the Stormers, alongside him.
“First and foremost I’d like to say I love Cobus. The first time I played against the All Blacks it was Cobus who told me I should try a long penalty attempt when it came. He pointed it out and I was successful with the attempt. He took me under his wing (in that first season with the Boks) and we have become good buddies. I love sharing the field with him.
“He’s 38 (he’s not, he’s actually 35) and yet he’s fitter than anyone else and his attitude and work ethic has helped me a lot.”
HE SEES POLLARD AS A FRIEND AND MENTOR
Talking of work ethic and standing in the game, given that he is already rated by many pundits as the best flyhalf in the world it is easy to forget that he’s still relatively new to international rugby.
He knows it, which he came across as quite embarrassed when asked if he had advice for the wave of young flyhalves coming through in South African rugby, such as the newly capped Bok Vusi Moyo and the excellent Junior Bok and fellow Stormers, 19 year old Yaqeen Ahmed.
“At this point I only have 19 international caps, Saturday’s game will be my 20th. So I am far from a finished product. I can give advice in dribs and drabs. I love the way Yaqeen plays, the same with Vusi. I have seen Luan (Gilliomee) play really well at No 15 for the Sharks. I loved watching him, with all his offloads, the same with Yaqeen. I wish them all the best and I can help I certainly will.”
If Feinberg-Mngomezulu pays back by helping the youngsters he will be following the lead of the man he considers his mentor within the Bok team, double winning World Cup flyhalf Handre Pollard.
“There’s always a lot of talk from outside the group about the competition for Bok flyhalf places, but I don’t think people understand how much we help each other,” said Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
“Today Handre was giving me a lot of help, telling me the field dimensions and other aspects of playing at the match venue I should look out for. I am only getting my 20th cap on Saturday, I have utmost respect for Handre, who has done it all. He is my mentor and my friend and is a great guy to learn off.”
It is likely in his return game that Feinberg-Mngomezulu won’t play the full 80 minutes in Buenos Aires, but if he does he and Pollard could well find themselves teaming up in the all important 10/12 decision making axis.
Pollard is the only outside back on the bench and coach Rassie Erasmus showed his eagerness to see Pollard at inside centre when he kept him there even when the Boks were being strongly challenged and were edging towards crisis in the second half of the Nations Championship game against Scotland at Loftus last month.