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A lesson learned but Ulster card won’t douse Sacha’s fiery passion

football16 April 2025 16:05| © SuperSport
By:Gavin Rich
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Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu knows he cost his team when he was yellow carded at a crucial stage of the recent game against Ulster but says he won’t change the all out approach that led to him being sent from the field.

The DHL Stormers fought back to salvage something from the Vodacom United Rugby Championship clash in Belfast when they secured two losing bonus points and according to the 23-year-old rising star that led to him and his teammates leaving the field with fire in their belly from the strong finish.

That will give the team some confidence as they start a four-match home sequence when they host Connacht at DHL Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

However, the former Bishops schoolboy is only acutely aware that it could easily have been five log points for the Stormers rather than two and full points from their two-match tour, which started with a good win against the Scarlets, were it not for his late off-the-ball charge on Ulster winger Rob Baloucoune just before halftime.

“I think I am well on the way there (to learning from mistakes like that),” said the Springbok in a pitch-side interview with the Cape rugby media at the Stormers’ High Performance Centre in Bellville on Wednesday.

“My job for any team I play for is to move the needle forward and that wasn’t one of my best moments. But I like to play the game at 100 per cent and sometimes I am going to be on the edge. Of course you don’t get that yellow card if you have played a perfect game on the edge so I know that it cost the team and it isn't a good look for Stormers rugby.

“But I want to keep giving 100 per cent for the team and just not make those little mistakes. I want to mature my game so I stay on the right side of yellow cards but at the same time I don’t want to change my game or my competitiveness for the team.”

EAGER TO GIVE HIS ALL AFTER FRUSTRATING LAYOFF

Reading between the lines, Feinberg-Mngomezulu may have paid for being a little too eager and over-zealous after a long period on the sidelines nursing various injuries and a few false starts when he did try to make a comeback during the derby phase of the URC during December.

“From September to March I had played just 90 minutes of rugby in seven months so this is my first string of consecutive games in a long time,” he said.

“I have played more minutes in the last two games than over the previous seven months so I am giving myself a bit of leeway to make a mistake here and there.

“I have got to keep going so I can’t afford to be too hard on myself there. But it is great being back on the field and playing the game I love with the team I love and the players I love. Coming back when the competitive end of the competition has arrived is also a great time to come back.”

HAVING MANIE IN MIX HEAPS ON PRESSURE FOR HIM TO PERFORM

The injury that continues to keep another ace Bok flyhalf in Manie Libbok away from the field has also given Feinberg-Mngomezulu a chance to have an extended run at pivot.

Up until late November last year, when Feinberg-Mngomezulu wore the No 10 against the Hollywoodbets Sharks in Durban, he had played most of his games at inside centre.

And it was the No 12 jersey he wore when he started alongside Libbok in derby matches against the Emirates Lions and Sharks either side of Christmas.

“Obviously having Manie at 10 is a blessing for the union and it does put extra pressure on myself and Jurie (Matthee). Manie is a world class flyhalf so you have to be on your A game when you do get game time and want time in the position. You can’t slip up,” said Feinberg-Mngomezulu.

“There is also a bit of extra pressure when you wear the No 10 for a team representing this region as in the Cape everything revolves around the flyhalf. Irish teams use their forwards as ball players and their outside backs come inside to play the ball but at the Stormers the flyhalf dictates momentum and the way we want to play.

“So yes, there is added pressure on me now that I have been given a chance to wear the No 10. But I would be lying if I said I did not want to feel that pressure and experience that pressure. It is the kind of pressure I have been looking forward to experiencing for ages. I am just grateful to be wearing the No 10 on Saturday.”

STORMERS HAVE ENOUGH ANGLES TO COUNTER CONNACHT


There has been some fighting talk from Connacht this week, with the visitors promising to fight fire with fire in terms of wanting to match the Stormers’ running game.

But Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s response to that is that the Stormers team is equipped to play more than one just game.

“We are ready for whatever comes down. We have been noting their comments about fighting fire with fire. The nice thing about us is we have a good kicking game and we are good at transitions, we can also hold onto the ball and we can move the ball and attack in two or three phases,” he said.

“So whatever comes at us we should be ready for it. I am not spoiling their game-plan, they are a multi-phase team and their kicking game is not their first priority. What I can say is we have been preparing really well for them this week. Norman (Laker), our defence coach, is extremely alert (about other teams and their playing styles), and so is Dawie (Snyman), our attack coach, who is clued up about both attack and defence. So we are fully prepared for what they will bring and we are 100 per cent ready.”

Feinberg-Mngomezulu does not lack confidence and neither should he for it is part of his strength.

For a relatively young player he also has an authority about him that makes him a natural leader in the playing group and he is not shy to point out that the Stormers will be searching for maximum points in the coming gams and will not be satisfied just with victories.

“Bonus points are what separates the top from the mid-table in this competition. When you can get five points you need to chase and get five points and we will be going all out to get a maximum of 20 points from these four games,” he said.

LOOKING FORWARD TO GREEN GRASS OF HOME

Of course, it also helps that the Stormers will be playing at home, with DHL Stadium being one of the most formidable away venues for the other teams in the competition.

“Playing away is not easy, it is definitely much more challenging than playing in front of your own crowd. Being back home for this final run of matches is extremely important and it will give us the best chance of picking up a maximum of 20 points from these last four games. I think having the crowd behind us and playing on our own surface will be a big boost for us going into the game, and for next week’s game (against Benetton) too.”

The Stormers squandered an excellent start before losing to Ulster last time out.

Ironically, a few weeks ago in the buildup to the away derby against the Vodacom Bulls in Pretoria the talk was that the Stormers were starting too slow and then coming back at teams later in the piece.

Now that trend is reversing, although it is hard to talk of trends off a sample size of very few matches.

“We have had a conversation about that and it has come and gone,” said Feinberg-Mngomezulu.

“We are doing a good job of tying down teams in the beginning and then just not finishing off. So we know if we want to win this Championship we have to be a ruthless team. We have to score points then exit from the restart and score more points. We mustn’t concede points or take the foot off the pedal or become lazy, we can’t afford to be lethargic on defence or attack. If we want to achieve big things in this competition, closing off games and being ruthless and relentless both on defence and attack is a big part of what needs to be done.”

EAGER TO PLEASE

He is looking forward to the team getting that aspect right in front of what he feels is the most passionate support base in the URC.

“I must give a shout out to the fans. We have the highest attendance in the URC, from what I understand, and we are lucky to have a coach in John Dobson who emphasises the importance of going all out for the fans who drive many miles to see us play. We need to fire for them. It is time to entertain our people and they deserve it.”

Knowing what Feinberg-Mngomezulu can do on the rugby field, that statement of attempt should have DHL Stadium patrons licking their lips in anticipation.

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