‘Amazing experience,’ says new Boks star Sacha after All Blacks Test

Rising Springbok star Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu said that he could write a notebook on all of the learnings he took out of his first encounter against the mighty All Blacks over the past weekend.

It was another baptism of fire for Feinberg-Mngomezulu, who made his debut off the bench at the start of the season against Wales, before playing a cameo in the first Bok Test against Ireland.

In the second Irish Test he came on in just the second minute at fullback after Willie le Roux was forced off with concussion, and put in a very accomplished performance.

He made his fourth straight appearance off the bench against Portugal, but has since started the Boks’ last three games, the two Tests against the Wallabies Down Under and against the Boks biggest rivals, the All Blacks, this past Saturday.

Asked what the experience was like after the game, the Stormers starlet explained that he would have a lot to ponder going forward.

“You have to be mentally conditioned (against the All Blacks). They are fast, nippy and awake and they are a great rugby side. I would have to write a whole notebook to tell you the learnings (he took from the game),” said Feinberg-Mngomezulu.

“But that was an amazing experience and playing against some of the best (players) in the world is (a great) way to step forward.”

‘A lot of things to fix’

It has been a stunning rise for the 22-year-old former Junior Bok captain and although he made a few mistakes on Saturday, it was a largely impressive showing against a very tough opponent, although he downplayed his performance, while highlighting the team effort it took to get over the line.

“It was an 80-minute game as we expected from the All Blacks. In the week we spoke about soft moments and what we showed at the end there was no soft moments. It was great defence and great discipline in their half to keep them strangled,” explained Feinberg-Mngomezulu.

“Personally I thought it (his performance) was alright. There are still a lot of things to fix and I made a few mistakes, so that is what I will take out of my performance.”

He was more excited to talk about the character and camaraderie in the team that helped them recover from a 10-point deficit in the final 15 minutes of the match to take a win that puts them in the driving seat the the Rugby Championship.

“It says a lot about the buy in, the individuals and the respect that we have for our coaches and our supporters. That was a dog fight out there,” said the flyhalf.

“It wasn’t our cleanest or most clinical performance, and we didn’t achieve everything that we wanted to achieve, which is good for next week.

“That just shows, to come out and get a win against the All Blacks at Ellis Park when things weren’t going our way, it summarizes us as the Springboks.”

The Boks and All Blacks meet again this Saturday, at the Cape Town Stadium.