Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu says he is looking ahed to the Springboks' Nations Cup opener against england at FNB Stadium.
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The Springboks have a never-ending highlights package of Test matches this season, but the one Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu is most looking forward to is the very first one — against England at Ellis Park on July 4.
The Springbok flyhalf was speaking at a high-energy function at the mini-city that is the Discovery head office in Sandton, where he had been announced as the multi-faceted organisation’s brand ambassador, as has his Springbok teammate Jesse Kriel.
“What I am looking forward to the most is the Red Roses of England coming to Ellis Park (for the opening Nations Cup match),” he said to thunderous applause.
Feinberg-Mngomezulu was brought on stage by the Zulu impi warriors who run out before the Springboks at home Test matches.
The CEO of Discovery South Africa, Hylton Kallner, said Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s brilliant performance against Argentina in Durban — he scored a record 37 points in the Boks' 67-20 win — made him an automatic choice for their envisaged brand ambassador.
Interestingly, Feinberg-Mngomezulu said that he went into that game unhappy with his form.
“I hadn’t been playing my best. My roommate at the Springboks was Damian Willemse, and not long before that game, we had discussed doing whatever we could to take our performance to another level for the remainder of the Rugby Championship,” the 24-year-old said.
“One thing that might surprise people about rugby is that it is not always sunshine and roses,” Feinberg-Mngomezulu explained. “There are tough times. But there are kids who aspire to become Springboks, and there are so many passionate supporters, which makes up for the stressful times.
“The pressure to win games is self-explanatory, but it is one of the most beautiful pressures you can have. There is so much emotion involved in rugby, so you have to try to keep a level head.
“What works for me is to not get carried away with the extreme highs and not get too down by the lows. I try to keep an equilibrium.”
The Boks play a marathon 14 matches between the beginning of July and the end of November.
“It will be a long season, but probably the most exciting period is the four-Test series against the All Blacks. We are back at the FNB Stadium, where there will be a massive crowd (90 000), and then 50 000 at Ellis Park. There are going to be some big numbers and some big teams, and we will be under the spotlight.”
Feinberg-Mngomezulu will be partnering with Jesse Kriel in representing Discovery.
“If you look at Jesse’s physique, it answers a million questions. He is a hard-working, driven guy, highly motivated. He puts his best foot forward in everything he does, so for me to be in the same bracket as him is a compliment.
“I always tell Jesse, he is the Christian Ronaldo of rugby. And if any footballer was partnered with Ronaldo, they would be very happy.”
Feinberg-Mngomezulu, the 2025 United Rugby Championship Player of the Year, was asked if there was a secret to his success.
“It is so clichéd, but I just have to keep working hard, along with my teammates, because a lot of the publicity and enjoyment is based on performance, and one can never shy away from understanding that performance is at the forefront of everything.
“To push the Springbok brand further, along with my double World Cup-winning teammates, we all have to stay on par as individuals, so that when we get to the team collective, we can execute everything we invest in the training sessions, meetings, and planning.
“By the end of the season, it must hopefully reflect in great results, a bigger support base, and a happy country.”