Stormers flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu said while he is “super privileged” to be given the honour of captaining his team for the first time, he will treat it as “just another match”, bringing his A-game and leading with other senior players.
Meanwhile, director of rugby John Dobson said the 23-year-old, who has been nominated for both SA Rugby’s Men’s Player of the Year award and Young Player of the Year, has long been earmarked for captaincy, and it was bound to happen at some point, though Salmaan Moerat, Ruhan Nel, Warrick Gelant and Damian Willemse are all unavailable.
The Stormers take on Leicester Tigers in their final Champions Cup pool match in Cape Town on Saturday (kick-off 5.15pm).
The Stormers need a win to be guaranteed progression to the round of 16, though there is a chance they will proceed if they earn a bonus point in defeat, or if Stade Rochelais lose to Harlequins.
Dobson named a strong team for the game, though Springbok scrumhalf Cobus Reinach is another player to miss out. He should return from his knee injury next week.
‘I’d like to set an example’
“For someone like myself, I’ve supported the Stormers since I can remember. This should be any Stormers player’s dream, to lead the side,” said Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
“I got the call from Dobbo [Dobson] this morning and it was a really nice call to have at the end of the week before a game.
“I’d like to set an example and bring my A-game to the field. That’s my favourite way of leading, by example. I love giving other players confidence, and when we have 15 confident guys on the field at the Stormers, we are unbeatable.”
He said at the same time it was “just another game” and he was “super privileged” to have the captain’s armband with the likes of Neethling Fouché, JD Schickerling, Evan Roos and Paul de Villiers, who would bring seniority to the team and “help me settle in”.
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu tipped to captain since 2023
Dobson said the Springbok star had been earmarked for senior leadership since he captained the Stormers U21s in 2023.
“To be honest, the reason why it wasn’t sooner this season was that he was in the national setup at the start and we got a bit of momentum with Ruhan [Nel],” Dobson said.
“We also wanted him to settle into driving the game because over the last couple of years, he’s clearly been our 10, our game driver, and the captaincy might have been a bit much. But he’s a future Stormers captain.”
He said Feinberg-Mngomezulu has a great understanding of the technical side of rugby. Furthermore, his recent contract extension to 2029 highlights his loyalty to the union.
“Now that that’s cleared up we’ve got him long term and we must invest in his leadership. He’s a really good captain.”
On a personal note, Feinberg-Mngomezulu said he was putting the SA Rugby nomination out of his mind. He was only thinking of Saturday’s match.
