Stephen Donald names his choice for Springboks’ fly-half spot and makes blunt call on Damian McKenzie’s All Blacks hopes
All Blacks full-back Damian McKenzie (inset) and Springboks fly-half Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
Stephen Donald is backing Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Damian McKenzie to both be in action when the Springboks and All Blacks meet in Johannesburg on Saturday.
South Africa and New Zealand will both announce their respective match-day squads on Thursday for the eagerly anticipated first Test of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series.
There has been plenty of speculation about who will start at fly-half for the Springboks as the world champions’ head coach Rassie Erasmus is spoilt for choice with three world-class players in Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Manie Libbok and Handre Pollard all in the running to wear the number 10 jersey for their country.
Feinberg-Mngomezulu made his return to action in the Boks’ last Test against Argentina in Buenos Aires earlier this month, but despite delivering an underwhelming performance in that match, Donald believes he will get the nod ahead of Libbok to start at fly-half while Pollard will be included on the replacements bench.
‘You treat this like a World Cup final’
“I think Pollard gets the bench spot for goal kicking. We’ve seen it,” he told The Aftermatch with Kirst & Beav. “You treat this like a World Cup final. You have the insurance of one of, or if not the greatest pressure goal kicker there’s ever been.
“So, Pollard’s on the bench, but I think they go Sacha.
“If Sacha’s fit and available, they go (with) him. And saying that Libbok’s been outstanding.
“But from the outside, I would probably, having heard everything that Tony Brown has said, when you’re likening a guy to a once-in-a-generational player and you start saying he could be the new Carter, then you have to go with him, don’t you?”
Meanwhile, the All Blacks are sweating over the fitness of star utility back McKenzie.
The 31-year-old has played mostly at fly-half for the All Blacks in recent years, but since Dave Rennie took over the men in black’s coaching reins earlier this year, he has been playing exclusively at full-back.
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McKenzie shone in the number 15 jersey during New Zealand’s Nations Championship wins over France, Italy and Ireland last month and in victories on their South African tour over the Stormers and Sharks, before he limped off with an ankle injury in the latter match last Tuesday.
Rennie has revealed that McKenzie is in a race to be fit for Saturday’s Test, but Donald believes the diminutive playmaker will be ruled fit.
He said, however, that star winger Caleb Clarke’s recent departure from the All Blacks’ tour due to a shoulder injury throws a spanner in the works regarding who Rennie selects to start in his back three against the Boks.
‘I do anticipate him playing’
“Well, he’s a tough little cookie,” he said of McKenzie. “So, I do anticipate him playing, but if he doesn’t, it’ll be intriguing.
“Obviously Caleb Clarke’s injury probably muddies the water even further. So I think it would have been a lot easier to make that decision had Caleb been around, because I think you then just shifted Will Jordan (to full-back) and you’ve got a Caleb Clarke starting.
“And then you’ve got one of the, maybe the lesser experienced boys, be it (Josh) Moorby or Leroy (Carter) on the other wing. Both can play, I believe. The fact that you’ve now got no Caleb there, who’s the big experienced winger, shifting Will would mean you’re going to have to go Leroy and Moorby, unless you went (with) a Rieko (Ioane) on the left.
“Bring in like for like a little bit with Caleb as far as the experience goes and then decide between a Moorby or a Carter.
“But I mean, it’s probably underselling Leroy. Leroy’s played the Springboks. He’s played a lot of big Test matches.
“He’s played a lot of big venues. So it’s probably not too much of a stretch for Leroy and a Moorby there, but I think McKenzie would be right. I’d be staggered if he wasn’t.”
