During a balmy evening at Kings Park on Saturday, what became abundantly clear is that the Springboks have discovered a ‘unicorn’ at flyhalf in the form of sensational Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
On his way to scoring a record 37 points and claiming a hat-trick of tries, Feinberg-Mngomezulu truly announced to the rugby world what a ‘generational talent’ he is.
His unique attacking abilities have always been clear to see, but with an appetite for defence, accurate goal-kicking, fearless X factor and a wonderful ability to read the game and spot players in space, the Springboks possess a potent weapon in the form of Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
What adds to the 23-year-old’s value is his ability to also shift to fullback late in the game, allowing for Manie Libbok to slot in at 10 late in the game when his distribution and attacking instincts can tear tiring opponents apart.
Libbok has also been outstanding this season, and considering the importance of game management for key players between now and the 2027 World Cup, there is no doubt that he will continue to feature prominently at 10.
Similarly, there are certain opponents, weather conditions or game situations where the experience and reliability of Handre Pollard may be called upon.
However, based solely on current form, there is simply no doubt that Feinberg-Mngomezulu will continue to ‘own’ the Springbok No 10 jersey, as is almost certainly set to be the case in this Saturday’s final Rugby Championship clash against Argentina.
HOW WE THINK THE UNCHANGED SPRINGBOKS WILL LINE UP IN LONDON WITH SACHA AT 10
Springboks: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Canan Moodie, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Ethan Hooker, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nche.
High praise for Feinberg-Mngomezulu
Although Rassie Erasmus will very rarely single out a player for his performance, Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s contribution stood out this past weekend.
“Nobody can disagree that he was brilliant on the day,” said Erasmus. “What we always say is that you can’t put someone in there and immediately expect them to be world class. It doesn’t just happen overnight.
“He has grown a little bit against New Zealand, and a little bit against Australia away, and I think he only has 11 caps – or something like that – but I thought Damian de Allende helped him a lot and Damian Willemse played well and Manie came on played well and there were a lot of guys that played well, but no-one can disagree that Sacha was man of the match and did incredible things on the field.
“But in the lead up to where he was today there were many mishaps and bad kicking in other games he played. Sometimes you must give guys a chance to build reputation and their skillset at Test match level and he is definitely doing that; but there’s helluva a lot of people helping him; Manie and Damian, Tony (Brown, assistant coach), Handre (Pollard), everybody.”
