URC Awards: Feinberg-Mngomezulu wins but Wilco Louw was the real workhorse
Image: Backpagepix
Recently, I had the privilege of meeting Roger Federer.
It was a big moment for me, as I have always admired the Swiss tennis maestro, and on a list of top sporting heroes, he surely would be among my leading considerations. For years, rather tongue-in-cheek, I have claimed him as a South African, due to his ties to this country through his mother.
Over many matches before his retirement, I watched his skills and talents in awe, and have even received a threat or two from those who supported his opponents, due to a sense of humour failure and a lack of comprehensive reading on their part.
Bulls prop Wilco Louw. Photo: Backpagepix
Image: Backpagepix
I had known for weeks that I would get to meet the 20-time Grand Slam winner, so I had plenty of time to consider how I would approach him. I would be calm, collected, suave, and nonchalant – just another meeting with a normal human being, not the Super Saiyan tennis god that he is.
What followed, as I struck out my hand to shake his, was a jumbled, incomprehensible mess that Federer was kind enough to ignore. Yes, in that moment, I was star-struck – overwhelmed that I had finally met the man, the myth, the legend.
He was taller than I expected and extolled charisma up the wazoo. Indeed, it was almost tangible.
On first meeting Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu last year, at his initial call-up to the Springboks, similar vibes were being transmitted. The 23-year-old is well spoken, self-assured in his abilities, and proud of them.
Those in attendance who interacted with him on that first occasion, left Pretoria with an impressed nod, mentioning to each other what a pleasure he was to interview.
There is no doubt that Feinberg-Mngomezulu is going places. He will arguably be one of the finest rugby players this country has ever produced. I would go so far as to say he will be a generational talent. He has developed precocious skills no player of his age should possess, and has already done some truly special things with the spheroid. He will do more special things in the future.
But for him to win the United Rugby Championship (URC) SA Player of the Year award on Thursday is not totally agreeable.
I recall in 2002, Sir Ian McKellen had been nominated for the Oscar as Best Supporting Actor for his turn as Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. I was convinced he would win the honour, and was rather miffed – to this day, mind you – that he lost out to Jim Broadbent for Iris.
McKellen was, in my estimation, more deserving of the award – just as Wilco Louw is more deserving of this year's URC Player of the Year accolade. I am not faultless in all of this either – I was dazed and confused when the vote for the player award was requested and failed to cast my preference.
My bad ...
Nonetheless, Feinberg-Mngomezulu has played only 10 matches in the URC this season. Prop Louw is already on 16 – not including the semi-final against the Sharks on Saturday, and the possible final he could play a week later.
By the time the URC is finished, he could have played around 1 000 minutes of rugby. Feinberg-Mngomezulu has battled with injuries, had a sub-par performance for the Stormers in a crucial quarter-final against Glasgow Warriors, and completed the season having played 572 minutes.
According to the URC stats, Louw is the 15th best player in their Top 100 metric, while the Stormers utility-back did not even breach that list. Feinberg-Mngomezulu has had his moments, for sure, but Louw's input into the Bulls has been consistent, undeniable, inevitable and invaluable.
The award was decided by the media and stakeholders of the tournament, and it strikes me that much like my interaction with Federer, we were overawed by the new, shiny item – to the detriment of the grizzled, rough-hewn gem that is Louw.
Moreover, it is another case of valuing the sexy, aesthetically pleasing department of rugby union over the physical input and dark arts of the forwards.
In short, it's great stuff for Feinberg-Mngomezulu, but Louw? He was robbed … McKellen style.
As for Federer — well, at least I have a photo to immortalise the moment. Awkward, of course, but memorable all the same.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
IOL News
28 minutes ago
- IOL News
England's Lionesses party with thousands of fans after Euro 2025 triumph
The bus carrying the England women's national football team drives along the Mall during the homecoming victory parade near Buckingham Palace in London on Tuesday to celebrate the team winning Euro 2025. Photo: Adam Davy/AFP Image: Adam Davy/AFP England's victorious Lionesses celebrated their dramatic women's Euro 2025 triumph along with tens of thousands of ecstatic fans outside Buckingham Palace on Tuesday. Sarina Wiegman's team successfully defended their European crown by beating world champions Spain on penalties in the Swiss city of Basel on Sunday, sparking an outpouring of national joy. They flew home on Monday and were immediately whisked to 10 Downing Street, the working home of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, for a reception. On Tuesday it was the turn of supporters to celebrate the astonishing success of the Lionesses, who repeatedly defied the odds during their run to glory in Switzerland. Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel. Two open-top buses emblazoned with the words "European Champions" set off from the bottom of The Mall, the road leading to Buckingham Palace, under grey skies shortly after midday. Captain Leah Williamson held the Euro 2025 trophy aloft and supporters responded with cheers and by waving their flags in a sea of red and white. The decibel count rouse as the bus crawled along the road, lined with Union flags and the St George's Cross, led by a military band. The Football Association said at least 65,000 were packed onto The Mall. The huge crowds then swarmed down the road towards the palace – King Charles III's official London residence – to party with the squad, with two large screens showing tournament highlights. 'Still we rise' An emotional Williamson was first to speak from a stage at the Queen Victoria Memorial, saying she had been crying all the way down The Mall. "There's lots of ways to win a football match, and we repeatedly did it the hard way," she said. "But I think that you can see how much we care about playing for England, how much we love it. "(Victory in) 2022 was a fairytale, but this feels really hard-earned, and we're very proud of ourselves." The skipper said the team had overcome adversity, including defeat to France in their opening match: "Nasty things to deal with, and still we rise." She added: "Everything we do, obviously we do it for us and our team, but we do it for the country, and we do it for the young girls. "This job never existed 30 or 40 years ago, and we're making history every single step. Thank you so much, thank you so much for being with us. Stay with us, this story's not done yet." Wiegman told the cheering crowds that her players "showed up" when they had to before dancing on stage with Nigerian singer Burna Boy. "I had hoped for a little less chaos but they didn't keep their promise to finish things quicker," she said. "But as we always have a plan, and we try to execute that, and the players on the pitch, and we just kept having hope all the time, and belief, and they just showed up when it was really necessary and urgent." Williamson lifted the trophy beneath red fireworks and Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline" was played over the speakers. Fans had queued for hours to celebrate their heroes – the first senior England team to win a major football tournament on foreign soil. Signs included: "In Sarina we trust" and "So nice had to win it twice". Sue Plummer, 57, a company director from the Isle of Wight, said: "They're just the epitome of British resilience and resolve. "It's nice to see the total spectrum of people that have come out especially for this." London retail worker Naomi Rumsby, 30, said she used to play football. "It's nice to see so many people here," she said. "I never thought it would be like this. It's nice to see so many little kids with ladies' names on the back of their shirts." Victory in Switzerland was sweet revenge for Wiegman's team, who suffered bitter defeat against Spain in the World Cup final two years ago. The Lionesses were hosted at number 10 on Monday by Deputy Prime minister Angela Rayner and Sports Minister Stephanie Peacock while Starmer was in Scotland meeting US President Donald Trump. Rayner hailed the players as a "shining example of talent and excitement for women's football". AFP Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel.
Eyewitness News
an hour ago
- Eyewitness News
Pieter Coetzé wins SA's first gold medal at World Swimming Championships
JOHANNESBURG – Pieter Coetzé won South Africa's first medal of the World Swimming Championships in Singapore. Coetzé snatched gold in the men's 100m backstroke on Tuesday and set a new African record of 51.85 in a tight race, with the entire field finishing within less than a second of one another. The 21-year-old South African star touched the wall first, with the Paris 2024 champion Thomas Ceccon just .05 seconds behind him to claim silver in 51.90, with France's Yohann Ndoye-Brouard earning his first world championship medal with a bronze in 51.92. "I always thought it would happen eventually. In my mind, it was just a matter of time. I can't say it was expected as it was a gamble right after the World University Games,' said Coetze. READ MORE: SA swimmer Pieter Coetzé books spot in the 100m backstroke final at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore Pieter Coetzé leads the pack as he qualifies for 4 World Aquatics Championships events Pieter Coetzé snatches the first World Aquatics Championships qualifying time at the SA National Championships
The Citizen
an hour ago
- The Citizen
Athletics South Africa president and board given 7 days to resign: Protest action looms
A storm is brewing in South African athletics as a group calling itself 'concerned athletes and administrators' called for the immediate resignation of the Athletics South Africa (ASA) board during a fiery press conference in Milpark yesterday. Benoni City Times reports that, citing deep-rooted governance failures and alleged misuse of funds, the group, led by ASA board member Dorah Mgwevu, athletics administrator Ernest Moikangoe, and athlete Keneilwe Sesing, issued a bold ultimatum that ASA President James Moloi and his board have seven days to step down or face protest action. 'We, the concerned stakeholders, administrators, civil society organisations and citizens of South Africa, demand the immediate resignation of the ASA leadership, including the CEO and entire board of directors,' said Moikangoe. The veteran official said this follows recent allegations that Moloi had used ASA funds for personal gain. This was revealed last month during an oversight hearing by Parliament's Sports, Arts and Culture portfolio committee. The hearing quizzed Moloi about using the federation's credit card at various taverns and liquor stores. 'The findings presented in parliament are a national embarrassment and betrayal of public trust. They paint a picture of an organisation in complete disarray where corruption, neglect of athletes, and gross abuse of funds have become institutionalised. 'We can no longer tolerate a leadership that has repeatedly failed to safeguard the integrity of sport in South Africa.' The group demands the appointment of an interim committee and the launch of a full forensic investigation by the Special Investigating Unit into ASA financial activities from 2020 to 2025. 'Our sport is not a fiefdom for thieves and opportunists. ASA is meant to serve athletes – not to fund parties, taverns and corrupt deals,' Moikangoe said. Should the ASA board fail to resign within seven days, Moikangoe said the group will stage a protest at ASA headquarters and petition World Athletics to suspend the federation until their demands are met. Mgwevu echoed Moikangoe's sentiments, saying Moloi should step aside to allow SASCOC's investigation into ASA's financial irregularities – including whether funds were misused – to proceed without his interference. 'The president must step aside. We are aware of the ongoing investigation. 'How do we have this investigation when the accused person still has access to information and witnesses? Will this be a fair investigation? 'We appeal for Moloi to step aside and allow this investigation to take place fairly.' In a statement, ASA condemned the press briefing, saying it was reviewing the matters raised in parliament. 'ASA is currently reviewing the recent matters raised in parliament and has pledged to fully cooperate with the SASCOC investigation. 'We are committed to transparency and accountability. We will work closely with SASCOC to address any concerns.'
