Ex-England player claims Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu has ‘laid the foundations’ for a career ‘set to rank him alongside the likes of Dan Carter’
Stuart Barnes has likened South Africa's Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu with the legendary Dan Carter, inset
Ex-England out-half Stuart Barnes has made a bold prediction about Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu following his record-breaking display for the Springboks last Saturday.
The 23-year-old was making his 14th Test appearance for South Africa and he set the night alight in Durban, scoring 37 of his team’s 67 points in their Rugby Championship battering of Argentina.
His tally of three tries, eight conversions and two penalties for a 37-point haul eclipsed the South African record of 35 set by Percy Montgomery in 2007 versus Namibia.
That man-of-the-match contribution was pivotal in securing the Springboks the win that pushed them into pole position in the championship with one round of matches remaining.
“A generational talent”
After the second-place New Zealand visit the third-place Australia in Perth on Saturday morning, the Test rugby focus will switch to London where the first-place Feinberg-Mngomezulu and co will look to seal the 2025 title in their rematch with Argentina.
Barnes is certainly looking forward to seeing what the new star out-half might produce having likened him to the legendary Dan Carter, the New Zealander who was involved in his country’s back-to-back Rugby World Cup wins in 2011 and 2015.
Writing in his latest Times column, Barnes said: “We awaited proof of what his [Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s] believers constantly claimed: that here was a generational talent. Rassie Erasmus’ patience paid off.
“The doubters aren’t doubting any longer. He has laid the foundations for a career which – if injury-free – is set to rank him alongside the likes of Dan Carter. He has that potential and more.”
Delving into what he described as the “pyrotechnic brilliance” of what Feinberg-Mngomezulu produced at Kings Park, Barnes added: “Carter loved to confuse a defence in the opening minutes of a Test match. A cross-kick, a darting run, a delayed pass. Any one of the options would do.
“The object wasn’t necessarily to score an immediate try, rather to keep the defenders guessing. Well, in Durban, a decidedly decent Argentina didn’t have a clue. Feinberg-Mngomezulu said, with a large dollop of understatement: ‘Getting the right balance between running and kicking – I think we did that.’ Damn right he did.
“The match actually started with him landing a penalty from 50 metres; it finished with a conversion under the posts. What happened in between was so much more than a set of statistics. It was, for this decade, what Carter’s performance was against the Lions in the noughties.
“Carter went on to be a part of consecutive World Cup-winning teams. South Africa have already matched that Kiwi feat. Where they might take this sport with someone like Feinberg-Mngomezulu at the helm is anyone’s guess. South Africa is the perfect fit for this glittering talent.”
Barnes then appealed to readers to get along to Twickenham next weekend and pleaded for the Springboks to retain Feinberg-Mngomezulu in their starting line-up.
“On Saturday, Argentina face the Springboks at Twickenham in the final game of what has been a compelling Rugby Championship. Another epic individual performance would give what has been a great competition a fitting finale,” he added.
“If you can scramble a ticket for the match, get there. The greatest team in the world will hopefully select the fly half who can take them to yet another level of greatness.”
