Springboks sensation Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu claims he was surprised with how quickly his Test career developed in 2024.
The Stormers star featured off the bench several times at the start of the Test season including some impressive cameos against Ireland before he was eventually handed starts at fly-half in three consecutive games against the Wallabies (2) and the All Blacks before injury struck.
Feinberg-Mngomezulu immediately looked natural on the Test stage whether it was his long-range kicks at goal, expert kicking out of hand or his dynamic attacking input in the new-look structures orchestrated by Tony Brown.
Despite missing the last five games of the international season the playmaker was still nominated for World Rugby’s Breakthrough Player of the Year award which eventually went to All Black Wallace Sititi.
Fast progress
The Cape Town-base starlet admits his Test career tracked much faster than expected and underlined how grateful he is to have played for the Springboks.
“Obviously, I had ambitions of representing the national side,” he told reporters. “I didn’t think I would get close as I did, so looking back on the year I can only feel blessed and extreme gratefulness because I didn’t really see that coming.”
“It was a nice way to see that if you work hard you can get good results. The year has been a big learning curve for me in terms of putting in the work to get the results.”
Learning from established players
Part of what made his integration into the Boks side so seamless would have been the guidance from World Cup maestro Handre Pollard and teammate Manie Libbok.
Feinberg-Mngomezulu credited the players around him and admits he enjoyed winning trophies with the Boks who won the Rugby Championship, Freedom Cup and Qatar Cup amongst others.
“Learning so much from guys around me and getting a taste for silverware. That’s something I really wanted to experience. I think it served me great going forward and I hope to keep this momentum,” Feinberg-Mngomezulu said.
While the star did impress in 2024 he also struggled with injury which is something of a concern considering his age. However, he is back and available for selection for the Stormers who will need everything he can give to revive their season.
Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/i-didnt-think-i-would-get-close-springbok-prodigy-sacha-feinberg-mngomezulu-reflects-on-trophy-laden-rookie-season
