Nick Mallett’s alternative view on ‘fragile’ Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu as ex-Springboks boss reveals the most ‘encouraging thing’
Springboks playmaker Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and ex-Boks head coach Nick Mallett (inset).
Despite his outstanding performance for the Springboks against Argentina in Durban last Saturday, Nick Mallett does not believe Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu is the world champions’ first choice fly-half yet.
Feinberg-Mngomezulu delivered a masterful all-round performance in the Springboks’ 67-30 victory over Los Pumas as he finished with a 37-point contribution courtesy of a hat-trick of tries, eight conversions and a couple of penalties.
That was a record-breaking performance from the 23-year-old as it was the most points ever scored by a player in a single Springboks Test and his effort surpassed the previous mark of 35 set by Percy Montgomery against Namibia in 2007.
Mallett was appearing on the Talking Boks podcast with Brenden Nel and the show’s host sang Feinberg-Mngomezulu‘s praises, saying the playmaker’s efforts against Argentina was probably the most complete performance by a Springboks fly-half in the last three or four decades and Mallett replied: “I would agree with that.
‘He has unbelievable self-confidence’
“And I think the hype is just going to get higher and higher for this guy. He has unbelievable self-confidence. He has incredible physical attributes, his speed, his hand-eye coordination, his eye for a gap.
“He’s got a real understanding of space. And it was his first real game that he has completely imposed himself on the opposition.”
Nel then mentioned the fact that the Springboks have three classy fly-halves in Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Manie Libbok and Handre Pollard and whether the former’s performance against Los Pumas will mean it’s difficult to keep him out of the world champions’ run-on side in future.
Mallett, though, believes that Boks head coach Rassie Erasmus will stick with his decision of having three players for each position in his squad and continue with his horses for courses policy.
“I’ll just start with Sacha. I think Rassie is going to stick to what he said all along. He wants three players in each position,” said the former Springboks head coach.
“We saw what Manie did when he came along. He scored a most miraculous try himself (against Argentina). One must not forget that.
“But it was the reading of the game that was so good from Sacha. Absolutely outstanding. He took the decisions at the right time.
“His cross-kick to (Cheslin) Kolbe. I don’t think Kolbe even had to hesitate one half a second in his run up the touchline. He took that ball at full pace.
“I mean, it was just impossible to defend against that. You know, early on in the game, he (Feinberg-Mngomezulu) put a little grubber through and then he kicked it again. And if (Canan) Moodie hadn’t kicked it a bit too hard, I think one of them, you know, we would have scored another try.
‘There’s no one guaranteed of a Test place with Rassie’
“He just sees space so well. So it is going to be difficult, but I know that there’s no one guaranteed of a Test match place with Rassie. It just doesn’t work like that.
“He wants to keep on continuing, improving all the players. So Sacha, you know, that was an outstanding (display).”
Mallett also mentioned that a reassuring aspect of Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s performance against Argentina was the fact that he was not injured in that Test, as there were several matches in the past – for both the Boks and the Stormers at club level – where he was forced off due to injuries.
“For me, the most encouraging thing was he finished the game,” said Mallett.
“To get through a game, that guy also has been fragile in the past and he’s promised so much, but never actually been able to finish a game because he’s physically very committed, both on defence and on attack.”
