Watch VideoSacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu can’t wait for England, All Blacks, says Jesse Kriel is the Ronaldo of rugby

Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu says he is looking ahed to the Springboks’ Nations Cup opener against england at FNB Stadium. The Springbokshave a never-ending highlights package of Test matches this season, but the oneSacha Feinberg-Mngomezuluis 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.

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“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.

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