Rassie's 'criticism' of 'brilliant' Feinberg-Mngomezulu
SPOTLIGHT: Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus had heaps of praise, but also criticism for Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu following his record-breaking performance against Argentina.
The Boks defeated Argentina by 67-30 in the penultimate round of the Rugby Championship to go top of the standings heading into the final round at Twickenham this coming weekend.
Feinberg-Mngomezulu produced a masterclass against Los Pumas, scoring 37 points in a Test match for the Boks – surpassing Percy Montgomery’s record of 35, set 18 years ago.
The mercurial flyhalf was named the player of the match, scoring a hat-trick, eight conversions and two penalties.
Erasmus praised the youngster for his heroics and highlighted the growth of Feinberg-Mngomezulu leading up to his display at Kings Park.
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“I don’t think anyone could disagree that he was brilliant on the day.
“We always try to hammer the point that if you put someone in a position constantly, people expect them to be world-class, but it doesn’t just happen overnight.
“Players grow game by game against various opposition, and he’s only on 14 [Test] caps.
“But I feel Doogz [Damian de Allende] helped him a lot, and the other players around him played well too.
“There were a lot of guys that played well, but no one can disagree that Sacha deserved to be the player of the match.
“But if you take the lead up from where he was up to this match, there were many mishaps and bad kicking in previous games that he played.
“That happens when you allow players to build their reputation and skillset at Test level.
“He is definitely doing that, and many other players helped him.
“Manie [Libbok], Damian [Willemse], Polly [Handre Pollard] and everybody, but he performed and that was really good.”
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Captain Siya Kolisi added that the youngster showed leadership in the way he dictated proceedings.
He also emphasised the culture of the Boks and how every player has a voice in the team, irrespective of their age or the number of Tests they’ve played.
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“He was amazing. Not just in the way he scored tries and all the other things.
“It was the way he controlled the game and the balance of it.
“The guys, as coach [Erasmus] said, helped him a lot in terms of decision making.
“But I also feel when we click as a team, every player within our system can show who they are.
“That’s what the coaches always speak to us about.
“They select us for a certain reason. We all have a point of difference, and one of his [Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu] is running with the ball.
“And other players have to be in positions for him to get in the places that he got to.
“And I thought he kept his head cool and directed us in the right areas.
“He was really amazing today [Saturday].
“He took charge and leadership as we wanted him to.
“What stood out for me is that in our team, we believe in shared leadership.
“There’s not one leader who runs everything. Everyone plays a role.
“I saw so many players who came out of their shells in this match when the chips were down.
“There wasn’t just one voice that changed something.
“And also, the experienced players were willing to listen to their teammates with a single-digit amount of caps.
“That’s what makes our team special and what Rassie is trying to create with this group.
“From the day he made me captain, he ensured that everyone could take charge so that I wouldn’t have to take all the pressure.
“You’ll see younger guys with one cap who will take charge and talk to us.
“We keep quiet and we listen to them. That was powerful today [Saturday].
“Sacha was amazing today, and hopefully he can continue next week.”
