Feinberg-Mngomezulu thankful to the ‘big dogs’ for showing him ropes

WHEN the Springboks faced the haka before the Wellington Test against the All Blacks, the television cameras panned onto the faces of the South African players, who were mouthing something, but viewers could not make it out.

- MIKE GREENAWAY

SACHA Feinberg-Mngomezulu is enjoying life in the Springboks' jersey.

(BackpagePix)

Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, the starting flyhalf that day, has ended the mystery.

“Siya (Kolisi) was next to me. He was saying the Lord’s Prayer,” the young flyhalf said.

“Me? I was mouthing the words of the haka. I was getting ready for the game. It is nice to watch the haka, but I flip it around and use it for my own motivation, a bit of fuel for myself.”

About 20 minutes later, Feinberg-Mngomezulu was in the first-aid room at the Cake Tin, undergoing a head impact assessment, which he was heartbroken to fail.

“I watched the game going back home on the flight,” he says.

“From an individual point of view, it is never nice not to play too many minutes, but I am so chuffed about how the game shaped out.

“I’m happy Manie (Libbok) could step up and do his thing. He was amazing.

“But playing the first quarter of the game was better than nothing,” Feinberg-Mngomezulu reflects.

“It was similar to Eden Park in terms of the electric atmosphere.

“But we had a different kind of buzz in us after how it had gone down (in losing in Auckland).