Latest news with #SachaFeinberg-Mngomezulu
The Citizen
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Citizen
Springboks back in training ahead of Rugby Championship: 3 focus points
After an encouraging, if not perfect, first four matches of the season, the Springboks will be getting down to business in their training camp ahead of the all-important Rugby Championship. Thirty-seven Springboks were included in the squad for the two-week camp in Johannesburg that started on Sunday. These will be eligible for the two Tests against Australia at Ellis Park on August 16 and in Cape Town on August 23. Three U20 players, fresh from winning the World Rugby U20 Championship, are also attending the camp. It follows Bok wins against the Barbarians (54–7), Italy (42–24 and 45–0) and Georgia (55–10). These served as good warm-ups for the championship defence. But the Springboks will be focusing on a few areas of their game. Breakdown battle The Springboks recovered from the demolition they received in the breakdown battle in the first Test against Italy, but it was a whole new squad that evened things out against the 10th-ranked nation in the second Test in Gqeberha. The more experienced matchday 23 were at odds during the breakdown at Loftus. Though, to be fair, the Springboks were caught out somewhat by the referee's decision to allow Italy to flood the breakdown with players. Still, the team filled with world cup winners could not adapt to Italy's strategy. They may need to relook at this. Who's kicking for posts? The Springboks were happy to kick for touch in the warm-up games, with their lineout and forward packs proving dominant. But it will not be so easy against the likes of New Zealand, Argentina and Australia. The Boks may need to take the three points on offer when they can. Manie Libbok and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu finished the United Rugby Championship with 72.6% and 85.7% kicking success. However, the latter struggled against Georgia, only slotting one from five. Libbok, normally the less dependable goal-kicker, nailed five out of seven the week before. Still, Handré Pollard grasped his opportunities with both hands, once again proving the best post-kicker in the Springbok squad. He will likely either start or play from the bench in every match, but the other two will especially need to practice their goal-kicking. Imparting something to the U20 world champions While it won't be a focus point so much as a secondary objective, U20 loose forward Bathobele Hlekani, winger Cheswill Jooste, and scrumhalf Haashim Pead will need to soak up as much as they can on the camp. Already world champions with big-match temperament, Erasmus will likely only wish the youngsters to rub shoulders with their seniors to absorb some of the Springbok culture, and improve on their own game. According to former Junior Bok consultant Johan Ackermann, Hlekani especially needs to tighten his tackling. This article first appeared in The Citizen. Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel. Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal.
The South African
20-07-2025
- Sport
- The South African
Sacha on missed kicks: 'Off target, not off track'
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu has reacted to criticism of his performance in the Springboks game against Georgia at the Mbombela Stadium on Saturday, 19 July. The flyhalf came under fire after missing a series of crucial penalty kicks. Last year, Sacha was inducted into the national rugby team and has made nine test match appearances. In an Instagram post, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu directly responded to criticism of his missed penalty kicks. Posting a series of pics from Saturday's game, he shared: 'Off target — Not off track. Great experience out in Nelspruit! Thank you, South Africa.' On social media, rugby fans claimed that Sacha had gotten off lightly as compared to fellow flyhalf Manie Libbok, who has often been criticised over his performances. Meanwhile, Rassie Erasmus has conceded that while Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu 'made the most errors', he was 'pleased' with his performance. In a post-match briefing, the Springbok coach said: 'Sacha is not necessarily the first choice. Number ten, we have Manie, who is pretty much on song, and we saw with Handre when he came on that he is pretty solid. 'You can't just look at his goal kicking. He struggled before doing pretty well, but in the warm-up he got a hip pointer injury and we weren't quite sure if we should push him through the game. But he wanted to play, but that's not an excuse for the way he kicked at poles. Rassie added: 'We are pleased overall, it's his second start for us this year and he is younger than the other fly-halves.' Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 . Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp , Facebook , X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
The Citizen
19-07-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Boks batter Georgia in tough Mbombela clash
The Springboks emerged as convincing victors from their final Castle Lager Incoming Series test of the year, against Georgia, at Mbombela Stadium on July 19. Saturday night's clash, while far from perfect for the Boks, presented them with a lot of success and the perfect way to finish off their three-match series. Determined to spoil the part in Mbombela, Georgia were first to rack up some points, crossing the whitewash within the first five minutes to take a surprise 7-0 lead. The Boks first drew blood through one of the three debutants in their front row, Boan Venter, who managed to score his first test try. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu's conversion rebounded off the post to keep Georgia in the lead. While they struggled to find their feet early on, the Springboks ultimately kicked on and began asserting themselves on their opposition. Mbombela local and yet another debutant, Marnus van der Merwe, crashed over the line to enjoy a fine start to life as a test rugby player. Canan Moodie scored a try of his own before Georgia added three more points to their tally. Marnus' dream test debut continued, and he scored his second try of the game to round out the half and give the Boks a 22-10 lead at the break. It took only four minutes of play in the second half for the famous Bomb Squad to show their faces in front of a raucous Mbombela crowd. Edwill van der Merwe, who was excellent in the air throughout the game, scored the first try of the second period, which also went unconverted. Damian Willemse was next to cross the try line for the Boks, before things quietened down for most of the second half as the Georgians managed to disrupt much of the momentum the home side built. Edwill scored his second of the game, followed by a Handré Pollard conversion, to give the Boks a 41-10 lead. Kurt-Lee Arendse reached a special landmark with one minute to go, scoring his 20th Springbok try to notch up 100 points in the green and gold. The last say belonged to Pollard though, who scored a try of his own and converted it to wrap the game up in a neat bow that saw the Boks emerge 55-10 victors. The game was far from easy for the Springboks, especially up front, as true to their nature the Georgians fought hard from the first whistle to the last. They ensured the home side felt their presence, be it through tough scrummaging or hard tackles that sent a good few Springboks back in their stride. While the scoreline shines favourably on the Boks, the game was far from perfect and there are a good few lessons to be learnt before they take on Argentina, Australia and New Zealand in The Rugby Championship. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The South African
19-07-2025
- Sport
- The South African
PLAYER RATINGS: Super-charged debutants lead the way for Springboks
The Springboks beat Georgia 55-10 in Mbombela on Saturday to wrap up their mid-year Test campaign with a perfect three from three wins. South Africa put in a ruthless display to wear down the spirited Lelos on their way to a commanding 45-point win. The result sees South Africa maintain their perfect start to the Test season with a third consecutive victory and also keep their 100% record in Mbombela in tact. So as the Springbok juggernaut rolls on, here are some key player ratings based on today's individual performances: All scores out of 10 Marnus van der Merwe 9 What a debut for the Scarlets-based No 2. The hooker earned his first Springbok cap today and he made the most of the opportunity. The 28-year-old bagged two tries from the back of the maul in front of his home crowd to make his Test debut even more memorable. Boan Venter 8 Another one of the three debutants today, who didn't look an inch out of place. The prop was solid across the park. And while the Springboks' front row did concede a couple of penalties with him on the field, that was to be expected against the Georgians. Ruan Nortje 8/10 Nortje was voted as the official Man of the Match and deservedly so. He went to the trenches today and covered almost every blade of grass on that field. World class performance from the Bulls man. Handre Pollard 8 With Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu struggling through the game, Pollard came on and showed once again why he is the Springboks' first-choice flyhalf. The two-time World Cup winner knocked over all his kicks at goal and capped off another fine outing with a try and a try-assist. Edwill van der Merwe 7 The winger just continues to try-scoring exploits at the highest level. He crossed for two touchdowns against the Lelos to make it five tries in three Test starts for the Springboks. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu 5 It wasn't exactly a disaster-class, but the young playmaker must do better if he wants to usurp Pollard at No 10. Feinberg-Mngomezulu had a couple of fine touches in open play, showing glimpses of his attacking prowess. But his inaccurate goal-kicking left much to be desired. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVOURITE MOMENT FROM TODAY'S SPRINGBOKS TEST? Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
Eyewitness News
18-07-2025
- Business
- Eyewitness News
Coca-Cola brings Bok fever with new SA Rugby partnership
Coca-Cola brand Powerade also announced its new brand ambassadorship with rising star Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu. Under the ambassadorship contract is an 'Athletes Code', a contractual provision that allows the athletes to pause their commitments to focus on their mental health, without jeopardising their contract.
