Stormers coach: Sacha developing like DC
07/04/2024 04:41 AM
Assistant coach Dawie Snyman believes DHL Stormers playmaker Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu is on a path to greatness at flyhalf for the Springboks.
The 22-year-old wasted little time in announcing himself on the Test scene, coming off the bench to slot a 50-metre penalty kick on debut against Wales two weeks ago, and is among the Bok replacements to face Ireland in Pretoria on Saturday.
Speaking in a wide-ranging interview with News24, Snyman praised the versatile Feinberg-Mngomezulu's instinctive play and compared his development to that of All Blacks legend Dan Carter.
“I think he will become a great 10 for South Africa,” he told News24. “At the moment, he is an inside centre and fullback, which is to take him away from the high-level position of flyhalf.
“He’ll learn to control the game tactically a little bit better before he moves to the position.
“He’s a very instinctive player, so he’ll play on instinct, and sometimes, when you’re a flyhalf, you have to think two steps ahead.
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“He’ll put his head up and play what’s in front of him as aggressively as he can, but that will come with time.
“It almost would have been like when Dan Carter started for the All Blacks and the Crusaders. He started at 12 and then later on moved into that 10 position after spending a lot of time next to Andrew Mehrtens.”
Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s impact was evident against Wales, where his introduction shifted the game dynamics. Snyman supports allowing the former Junior Springbok skipper to play his natural game.
“We’ll never tell him, ‘don’t do this or don’t do that.’ He must just feel comfortable when he goes on the field,” he said. “We’ll try not to pull in the reins and try to slow him down or try and let him not reach his full potential.
“He’s going to learn through playing, and I think that’s probably the best way to learn. He must just feel comfortable when he goes on the field.”
Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s fearless style and physicality also keep defenses on their toes, with Snyman confident that more time in the saddle will refine his game management and decision-making.
Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images
The post Stormers coach: Sacha developing like DC appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
