Unless the DHL Stormers go on to win their second Vodacom United Rugby Championship title, this is a season that might well be remembered for the consolidation that has happened behind the scenes for a Cape franchise that now has equity partners.
When the deal with the Red Disa consortium was finalised and announced, it was made clear that the Stormers won’t be following the route paved by the Hollywoodbets Sharks and their American owners by buying in marquee players.
With a relatively young squad of talented players on his books, director of rugby John Dobson is looking at retention rather than acquisition and the ongoing uncertainty over Hacjivah Dayimani’s future notwithstanding, he appears to be succeeding in that mission.
In that sense, the negative of the week where the Stormers lost to the Ospreys, the loss that effectively scuppered their chances of a top four finish, might be overshadowed in time by the positive that came out of the week.
For it coincided with the contracting of Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu to the Stormers until at least 2027.
As he is the generational player that Dobson often describes him as, it was a massive coup on his part to secure the long term services of a man Victor Matfield sees as the next Springbok flyhalf, and the former legendary lock is by no means alone in that view.
With a current Bok in Manie Libbok already on the Stormers’ books, and some other franchises in desperate need of a quality No10, Feinberg-Mngomezulu would not have been blamed had he opted to go elsewhere.
The 22-year-old future super-star was injured at the time but he reminded those watching of his X-factor qualities in his brief cameo as a replacement against the Dragons.
Have you heard about this guy Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu? He just got us the bonus point in Newport.
— DHL Stormers (@THESTORMERS) May 10, 2024
⛈️ 37-21 🐉 (77 mins)#DRAvSTO #iamastormer #dhldelivers @Vodacom #URC pic.twitter.com/T9yBflKSGq
He capped his wizardry by dotting down the two final tries as the Stormers turned what was looking like a sluggish performance and ugly win into a resounding one with four tries in the last 14 minutes.
A moment of beauty from @THESTORMERS 😍
— BKT United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial) May 10, 2024
Libbok ⏭ Hartzenberg ⏭ Du Plessis ⏭ Feinberg-Mngomezulu#BKTURC #URC | #DRAvSTO pic.twitter.com/4HwVkQpQgO
Feinberg-Mngomezulu, who has yet to start for the Stormers in his preferred position of flyhalf, was the man of the match when he did last start for the franchise, which was at inside centre outside another promising Stormers flyhalf prodigy, Jurie Matthee, against the Sharks in Durban.
Now that he is over his injury, he must be itching to start again. The problem is where?
Not only was Libbok one of the star performers and one of the players who held his nerve in a difficult situation at Rodney Parade in Newport last Friday, Damian Willemse is also back in the mix after joining the team late after staying behind in Cape Town to attend to a personal matter.
"GENERATIONAL PLAYER'
Dobson left little doubt in the post-match press conference in Newport that Willemse will be returning this week, and given how good Warrick Gelant has been at fullback, that will probably be at inside centre, with Dan du Plessis again moving to No13 as a replacement for Wandisile Simelane.
“Damian is just 26 and has been part of two World Cup winning efforts and is a class player so to get a player like that back is amazing.
He brings confidence and calmness to the team,” said Stormers defence coach Norman Laker from Galway when looking ahead to Saturday’s important game against Connacht.
So where would the former age-group star slot into the Stormers starting team?
At the moment it is almost impossible to find a place for him, with Du Plessis potentially the most vulnerable as he’s not a Springbok but what he is is a player who is highly valued by the coaches and his teammates as a leader.
That value has been underlined by the contract extension that was announced a short while ago.
It is a problem that would be the envy of most other coaches given his talent and the talent of the other players in the mix, and Dobson will be happy to have the problem.
But it would be interesting to learn what promises he must have made to Feinberg-Mngomezulu to get him to commit his long term future to his current team.
Perhaps we will get to see that as the careers of the players progress - Willemse is another “generational player” contracted to 2027 and has similar utility value - and with the selections that Dobson comes up with going forward.
For now, it would appear to be a smart bet that Feinberg-Mngomezulu plays off the bench against Connacht, but that’s not a solution that can continue indefinitely.