How Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu's football skills will help him steer Springboks' ship in the wet against Barbarians

South African rugby fans probably have Bishops’ massive rugby culture to thank for Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s decision to take up oval-ball sport instead of football.

Last year, during an unbelievable debut season for the Springboks, where he went toe-to-toe with the All Blacks at Ellis Park and came out with the win, his father, Nick Feinberg, mentioned that he was quite the soccer player.

This statement is backed up by various videos on social media, where the young flyhalf does some pretty nifty tricks with his feet.

“I maintain Sacha was as good if not a better footballer than a rugby player,” Feinberg told the Daily Voice last year.

“In my opinion, he could have made it in the ‘Beautiful Game’. You can check him on TikTok doing stuff with a rugby ball that most footballers can’t do with a football”.

He does it on a rugby field as well, as his juggling act with the ball at his feet before scoring against the Lions in a United Rugby Championship match still fresh in everybody’s memory.

But that football background is noticeable in his kicking game, as he has a variety of kicking options, whether it is a very high bomb, a flat kick to find a “50-22” or just a little dink to collect himself.

His kicking game is really an underrated part of his game because of the other special skills in his armoury, such as his passing and running games, which has already been compared to the All Black great and flyhalf GOAT Dan Carter.

“Some people don’t understand how strong his kicking game is. He is a natural footballer. He can do things with a ball that I, coming from the township, can’t do!” assistant coach Mzwandile Stick said with a smile at the Springboks’ captain’s press conference on Friday.

Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s kicking game and game management will certainly be in the spotlight in the Boks’ first outing of 2025 when they take on the Barbarians at the DHL Stadium in his hometown of Cape Town on Saturday.

Heavy rains continue to lash the Mother City and Saturday is expected to only clear up shortly before the match starts at 5.10pm. So the plan may be to kick a lot more in behind the dangerous Barbarians’ backline.

But Feinberg-Mngomezulu is the type of player that loves to go off-script and chance his arm when he sees an opportunity to run. Most times it works out for the best, which makes him such a joy to watch.

But sometimes he tends to overplay a bit, like in the Stormers’ URC quarter-final against Glasgow Warriors, where he tried to force the issue on his own and not bring other players into the game.

One thing about Feinberg-Mngomezulu is that he doesn't sulk when he makes a mistake and tends to brush off quite quickly. Another mark of a champion.

“One thing about him, he has got a very big heart for such a young man. That is one thing I enjoy about him,” Stick said.

“Even if he makes mistakes he can bounce back and still back himself to make the decisions. We always want our attacking players to keep asking questions.

“He is young and he is going to make mistakes, but we enjoy watching him try. The impact that he makes for the team is the most important thing for us.

“I have never seen a youngster mature like he has, how he conducts himself around the team. His leadership skills … he is definitely one for the future.”

However, at the tender age of 23, he is still learning his game and coach Rassie Erasmus confirmed this week that they are working hard with him to try and find that balance.

The Boks’ captain for the Barbarians clash Jesse Kriel, though, is confident that Feinberg-Mngomezulu will be able to steer the ship on his home patch.

“I think Sacha is an unbelievable talent as we all know, but he has got an extremely sharp mind and rugby brain. He knows how to go out there and control a game when he needs to,” Kriel said.

“He also has the likes of Tony Brown and Handre [Pollard] to lean on. I have no doubt that Sacha will have a great game tomorrow and be the boss of the team and lead us around the field.

“I’m really confident he will lead us as the captain of the attack and get us playing in the right areas of the field.”

@John Goliath82