Feinberg-Mngomezulu crowned SA Vodacom URC Player of the Season

Springbok and DHL Stormers utility back Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu added another significant accolade to his SA Rugby Young Player of the Year award by being crowned SA’s Vodacom United Rugby Championship Player of the Season for 2024/25.

Feinberg-Mngomezulu is one of four South African players who won awards this season, with Cameron Hanekom, Deon Fourie, and Ruben van Heerden also featuring among the winners for 2024/25, while the Hollywoodbets Sharks were also rewarded for their innovative approach to the match day experience.

The talented 23-year-old went up against two of his Springbok teammates, the Vodacom Bulls duo of Hanekom and Wilco Louw, for the prestigious South African award, and his sublime form for the DHL Stormers, in which he dictated play with class and played a key role in the team’s goal-kicking structures, saw him grab the title.

𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu has been named as the Vodacom URC Player of the Season.

The award was open to any player from one of the four South African franchises, and forms part of the annual SA Rugby Awards.#URCAwards | #VURC pic.twitter.com/r6mmwVd9hD

— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) June 5, 2025

Feinberg-Mngomezulu follows in the footsteps of former Emirates Lions utility back Sanele Nohamba (who is currently plying his trade in Japan), and his DHL Stormers teammates Evan Roos and Manie Libbok, who won the award in the last three seasons.

SA Rugby President Mr Mark Alexander praised the young star’s outstanding season: “Sacha is undoubtedly one of the finest young talents in the country. His ability to deliver quality performances consistently is a testament to the excellent player he is. He lit up the field this season and made a massive contribution to his team’s success on attack, scoring in every possible way.”

Mr Alexander also congratulated all the other winners and nominees for their stellar performances during the season and extended his best wishes to the Vodacom Bulls and Hollywoodbets Sharks, who will clash in Pretoria on Saturday for a place in the Grand Final.

Feinberg-Mngomezulu quickly rose to prominence as a world-class playmaker, skills he backs up with a calm persona under pressure. It was these traits that saw him being nominated for the award in a process that included votes from the Springbok and franchise coaches, as well as local media.

The former Junior Springbok captain made his test debut against Wales at Twickenham in June last year, and went on to earn eight caps for the Springboks in their impressive 2024 season, in which they won 11 out of 13 test matches and were crowned the Castle Lager Rugby Championship winners.

On Wednesday, Hanekom was named as Next-Gen Player of the Season. The prestigious award was voted for by members of the media across all five Vodacom URC nations.

This award is to recognise young up-and-coming talent and is open to players who were aged 23 or under at the start of the season, and had earned no more than five international caps at the beginning of the 2024/25 season.

They must also have played at least nine games in the 2024/25 Vodacom URC season. Hanekom has been a key player for the Vodacom Bulls this season, helping them finish second on regular season table.

Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Hanekom and Louw have also been included in the season’s Elite XV, which was also determined by a media vote from players that have made at least nine appearances to be considered.

The Elite XV is your team of the season and determined by a media vote 🗳️

3️⃣x Vodacom @BlueBullsRugby
3️⃣x @MunsterRugby
2️⃣x @Scarlets_Rugby
2️⃣x @LeinsterRugby
1️⃣x @Ospreys
1️⃣x @GlasgowWarriors
1️⃣x @TheStormers
1️⃣x @SharksRugby
1️⃣x @EdinburghRugby#URC | #URCAwards pic.twitter.com/QAJP1gce8q

— Vodacom United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial_RSA) June 4, 2025

Joining them are their Springbok teammates Andre Esterhuizen (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Vodacom Bulls), and RG Snyman, who plays for Leinster, while former Toyota Cheetahs hooker Marnus van der Merwe from Scarlets also made the selection.

Meanwhile, Fourie’s stunning score for the DHL Stormers against Scarlets was voted the Try of the Season powered by URC.tv. The experienced Springbok forward got on the end of a sensational team effort, jam-packed full of offloads, dummies and sizzling footwork. There were 10 tries in total nominated, with Fourie beating some stiff competition to the award.

Earlier in the week, DHL Stormers lock Ruben van Heerden was named as the recipient of the Tackle Machine Award, given to the player who boasts the best tackle success rate among those who have attempted 150 or more over the course of the campaign.

Van Heerden made 171 tackles at a success rate of 98 per cent. He edged Glasgow Warriors forward Rory Darge who made 160 tackles with an accuracy of 97 per cent, as well as Hollywoodbets Sharks loose forward Phepsi Buthelezi in third place, with 157 tackles, and a tackle accuracy of 96.82 per cent.

The Hollywoodbets Sharks won the Innovation Award for SharksFest. Determined by a selection panel, clubs were rewarded for innovation by growing the game through digital fan engagement, match day experience, and social purpose.

Elite XV

15. Jamie Osborne (Leinster Rugby)

14. Darcy Graham (Edinburgh Rugby)

13. Tom Farrell (Munster Rugby)

12. Andre Esterhuizen (Hollywoodbets Sharks)

11. Blair Murray (Scarlets)

10. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers)

9. Craig Casey (Munster Rugby)

8. Cameron Hanekom (Vodacom Bulls)

7. Rory Darge (Glasgow Warriors)

6. Jac Morgan (Ospreys)

5. Tadhg Beirne (Munster Rugby)

4. RG Snyman (Leinster Rugby)

3. Wilco Louw (Vodacom Bulls)

2. Marnus van der Merwe (Scarlets)

1. Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Vodacom Bulls)