Rassie Erasmus: Springboks working hard with Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu to find the 'balance'

It’s difficult to nitpick flaws in young Springboks flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s game after a wonderful start to his Test career.

The No 10 burst onto the international scene last season with a few breathtaking displays, kicking a 53-metre penalty with his first touch of the ball before playing a starring role in the team’s win over the All Blacks at Ellis Park.

Feinberg-Mngomezulu is a fantastic all-round player, blessed with great hands, vision and a fantastic running ability. But he also has an educational boot, as he is a good goal-kicker and a guy that can find space with his tactical kicking because of his football background.

The flyhalf has had plenty of magical moments in his young career. He basically carried the Stormers to the United Rugby Championship playoffs, putting in unbelievable individual performances.

But if there is one criticism about Feinberg-Mngomezulu, it is that he sometimes tries to pull off the impossible things on a rugby field and overplays his hand. Sometimes he tries to force the issue, rather than keeping it simple when the need arises.

According to Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus the hype around him at the moment may be contributing to that part of his game. He feels he needs to perform miracles every time he goes on the field.

However, on the flip-side, it also shows his mentality, as a guy who wants to be that match-winner.. He wants to be the team’s champion. And that is also the type of game the Stormers, where they encourage their game-breakers to do game-breaking stuff.

But it’s understandable, at 23 years old Feinberg-Mngomezulu is still in the infancy of his Springboks career. There is still a lot he needs to learn to become the finished product.

Feinberg-Mngomezulu is going to make mistakes along the way, even great players such as Johnny Wilkinson and Dan Carter had to go through a painful growth period. 

Erasmus and his team want him to grow into that well-rounded player over the next two years heading into the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia. He has the magic, now it’s just about adding consistency in decision making to thrive in the Bok system.

“When our teams get together for alignment camps, that’s what we work on, how we want to play. When you get to us, you know what skillset you must have or how to play to work in our system,” Erasmus told the media on Tuesday after selecting Feinberg-Mngomezulu at No 10 for Saturday’s season opener against the Barbarians.

“For Sacha, like most of the other youngsters, he only has eight Test caps. I remember the first time Johnny Wilkinson played against us, he didn’t have a great game. But he became a great player.

"Understanding what we are trying to do and believing what we are trying to do, while still being Sacha, that is what we want him to strive for.”

Erasmus said dealing with the off-field hype is also going to be key for the player.

“Everybody also hypes him up and it’s difficult to try and live up to what the people are saying, make magic every single time or do the unbelievable thing that no one thinks you can do,” Erasmus added.

“Sometimes it’s about balance, and Tony Brown (attack coach) is really working hard with him. I think he is taking it on board and understanding what we want him to do.”

@JohnGoliath82