Cape Town — Sacha Mngomezulu just seems to be wired differently.
Normally when a new star speaks to the media, he rolls out the clichés that he may have been told to use, to try and avoid saying anything supposedly wrong or controversial.
But Mngomezulu isn’t your average rugby player, and he isn’t scared to speak his mind either.
He captained the Junior Springboks to the Under-20 Summer Series title in Italy in July, where the flyhalf led the way with outstanding personal performances in every match.
The Bishops product, though, has bigger fish to fry in the shape of the United Rugby Championship. Mngomezulu made his debut in testing circumstances, coming on at inside centre in last season’s quarter-final against Edinburgh after just a few minutes, following an injury to Rikus Pretorius.
He handled himself with such poise that coach John Dobson kept him on the bench for the semi-final and final against Ulster and the Bulls. But while he didn’t get much game time then, Mngomezulu wants to push himself further in the 2022/23 season, which kicks off against Connacht in Stellenbosch on September 24 (2.30pm kick-off).
“It was amazing being just in and around a successful group, and a group filled with Springboks. Just learning as much as I could there, and I think it’s put me in good stead for the upcoming URC season,” the 20-year-old flyhalf told Independent Media at the URC launch in Midrand this week.
“I learnt a lot of things over the last one, especially after that quarter-final – good confidence-booster. The one thing that the coaches have got right is that they really let you own your jersey. I think that’s what really gave Manie (Libbok) good confidence – he owned that number 10 jersey and made it his own.
“That’s one thing that they got right, and I want to make that jersey my own as well.”
Don’t mistake that last phrase for arrogance, but rather confidence …
And while he said he was still buzzing from the Junior Boks’ triumph, he is ready to dance with the big boys in the URC.
“The first game, I had so much adrenaline that I didn’t really feel much. But you can feel the collisions are a bit harder, one or two seconds more fight involved (in defence), so it’s definitely another level. But it’s not something I don’t see myself capable of doing,” Mngomezulu said.
“When I played my last game, I didn’t really get an opportunity to do much … I did my basics. And while I am with this group of players, that’s what I’m going to focus on for the next while – just doing my basics, and then I can start showing what I am capable of.
“But for now, they won’t know much because I will just be making tackles, rucking, etc.”
IOL Sport