VIDEO: Sacha responds to social media trolls

SPOTLIGHT: Stormers and Springbok flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu shared his thoughts regarding his experience when it comes to public scrutiny and how he deals with it.

In the digital world of social media, no one is safe from bullying and trolling, and even less so prominent sports stars and celebrities.

Feinberg-Mngomezulu, who will earn his 50th Stormers cap should he be selected against Glasgow Warriors this weekend, hasn’t been spared the online abuse either, despite his status as “the next big thing” in the sport after a few subpar performances at times this season.

Stormers Director of Rugby John Dobson lashed out at the “keyboard warriors” last week in defence of his players, including Feinberg Mngomezulu.

“We have a duty of care towards Sacha,” Dobson said.

The 24-year-old flyhalf admitted that he sees the comments from the public but takes it with a grain of salt as long as his coaches and teammates are backing him to fulfill his role in the team.

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“I see it all [the comments] because I’m on social media, whether I like it or not, it’s in my face.

“But I don’t think it’s something I should feel sorry for myself about.

“I watch a lot of football, and I can’t imagine what the Real Madrid and Barcelona players get every weekend.

“It’s just important to understand that it’s at a very small level, and as long as my coaches and teammates are happy with my efforts, especially then I’ll just let the rest take care of itself.

“I put a lot of hours into my game, whether I’m here at the High Performance Centre or not.

“Little comments are never going to deter me from where I believe I’m going.

“And just understanding how people get it [online abuse] in other sports is also important; we get it on a small scale compared to the footballers.

“I mustn’t put my tail between my legs and cry about it; it’s just part of the job.”

Speaking on his milestone match, Feinberg-Mngomezulu reflected on his journey in the blue and white hoops and credited his coaches for aiding in his development thus far.

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“I’ve put a lot of energy into the club and experienced a couple of setbacks, but I’m very happy to be where I am.

“Often, guys will look at Springbok rugby thinking that’s where core development happens, but it actually happens at franchise level.

“I’m actually just honoured to reach a half century, but I need to acknowledge all the work that was done here [Stormers] since day one at 18 years old until now that I’m 24 years old.

“It’s been quite a while, and I’m just happy that it’s represented in my caps for a franchise I care a lot about.”

The playmaker elaborated on what he felt helped him grow as a player in the Stormers environment.

“The list is long, hey…the small things we’re coached here are very different to what I think other guys are coached on.

“Things like understanding space and seeing opportunities, etc. That’s become a fundamental part of my game.

“It goes without saying that Dobbo’s [John Dobson] put his trust in me and all my teammates played their part, and I’d like to repay that on the weekend.”

Touching on the upcoming weekend’s clash against the Warriors following their shock defeat to Connacht, Feinberg-Mngomezulu emphasised the enormity of the clash in terms of the log position.

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“It goes without saying that we’ve got our backs sort of against the ropes, but [still] in a great position.

“We all understand the importance of this fixture, whether we earn four or five [log] points, we need to get over the line and bank all those points that’s necessary at home.

“They [Glasgow] are good opposition, they’ve got a good coach who seems to understand how we play, so I just hope that we can bring our A game and can disrupt them in many facets of the game.”