Rassie Erasmus has expressed dissatisfaction over one springbok talent despite selection.
Rassie Erasmus has challenged the uber-talented Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu to bring composure to his starting role for the Springboks against the Barbarians on Saturday, reports DEVIN HERMANUS
Flyhalf Feinberg-Mngomezulu, fresh off a standout Vodacom URC campaign, leads the Bok backline at Cape Town Stadium in the world champions’ first match of 2025.
While the clash against the Baa Baas is a non-Test, the Boks are treating it as one and for Feinberg-Mngomezulu, it’s another step in what Erasmus clearly sees as a long and carefully managed journey for him in green and gold.
Hailed as “a generational talent” by Stormers director of rugby John Dobson, Feinberg-Mngomezulu possesses a rare ability to process the game in slow motion mentally while everything happens at a frantic pace around him
His remarkable achievements – winning a URC title with the Stormers before capturing the U21 provincial championship as skipper, demonstrates natural leadership alongside his playing brilliance.
Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s ambidextrous kicking, acceleration, swerving ability and passing off either hand evokes memories of All Blacks great Dan Carter’s ability to unlock defences with casual ease.
Erasmus, however, is focused less on the hype around the 23-year-old playmaker and more on how he executes the Springbok blueprint.
“We’re blessed with Manie [Libbok], Sacha and Handre [Pollard], but Sacha only has eight Test caps,” the Bok boss told the media this week. “I remember Jonny Wilkinson’s first game against us wasn’t great, but Sacha having Handre next to him is great.”
Erasmus emphasised that Feinberg-Mngomezulu has the tools, but needs the tactical maturity to apply them within the Bok system.
“It’s them trying to understand what we’re trying to do, then believe in what we’re trying to do, and then going to do it while being Sacha,” he said.
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“Everybody is hyping him up, so it’s difficult for him to get into the field and not want to live up to that hype. You’ll want to make magic every single time … sometimes, it’s about bringing the balance where you stick to the 70 percent [basics] and look after the 30 percent [dazzle].”
Feinberg-Mngomezulu has already impressed Erasmus and Bok attack coach Tony Brown with his ability to adjust to the demands of Test rugby.
“Tony and Handre are working really hard with him, along with Manie, so he’s taking things on board in terms of what to do,” Erasmus said.
The challenge for Erasmus, as always, lies in blending players from vastly different franchise systems into one unified Springbok model. “Our team gets selected from 21 different teams, hence we have alignment camps,” he explained.
“When you get to us, you know the skill set and the things you have to change so that they work in our system,” he added. “Sacha’s shown he can make that switch.”
