Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu has shot the lights for the Springboks in 2024, and New Zealand scrumhalf TJ Perenara has acknowledged the threat of the playmaker.
Handre Pollard was the starting flyhalf when South Africa beat the All Blacks in the 2023 Rugby World Cup final in Paris, but the two-time world champion will back up Feinberg-Mngomezulu on the bench at Ellis Park on Saturday.
Feinberg-Mngomezulu has produced some eye-catching performances in his breakthrough season for the Boks, and the 22-year-old is tipped to shine in his maiden outing against the Kiwis in Johannesburg.
Speaking in the buildup to the highly anticipated clash between the traditional rivals on the Highveld, Perenara said the Bok halfback combination of veteran scrumhalf Cobus Reinach and the six-Test Feinberg-Mngomezulu are outstanding players.
“Sacha’s quite young and new to the environment, but he’s played some amazing rugby, and he’s shown at all levels how good he can be, and then you’ve got Cobus, who’s attacking game is one of the best in the world,” Perenara added.
“You see him running the ball and the speed that he injects into an offensive outfit is only going to be good for them.”
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Scott Robertson’s charges face the Boks this week in the first of two clashes in the Republic between the old foes in the 2024 Rugby Championship.
The Kiwis have an impressive record at Ellis Park over the last 20 years, with three wins (2013, 2015 and 2022) and only two defeats (2004 and 2014).
Perenara said his previous experience at the ground showed him the need to be ready for everything involved in the challenge of the home crowd’s intensity, altitude, and the contest.
“It’s a massive opportunity for us to come to Ellis Park to play against a really good South Africa team,” he explained.
“But the rugby itself, they’re two very different teams, different players with different styles of game now.”
The 83-capped Perenara, too, is pleased with how his partnership with flyhalf Damian McKenzie is developing, and praised the growth of understudy Cortez Ratima.
“The way he [McKenzie ] plays the game, the way he approaches a game only bleeds more confidence and I’m enjoying that combination,” Perenara said.
“Every time Cortez has got an opportunity in a Test, he’s played well. He’s got an accurate pass, and he’s physical, too. He enjoys getting among the physical side of the game.”
Photo: @Springboks/Twitter
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