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'In the Carter and Dupont bracket': Ex-All Black No.10 crowns Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu
By Ben Smith
Springboks flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu has been hailed as being in the same class as Dan Carter and Antoine Dupont according to one former All Black No.10.
The 23-year-old capped off his 2025 season with a run of starts for the Springboks at flyhalf, taking over from Handre Pollard after the Eden Park loss to the All Blacks.
His scintillating form saw him named as the No.10 in World Rugby’s Dream Team XV for the 2025 season, the first-ever South African No.10 to make the team.
Former All Black first five Stephen Donald had nothing but praise for the Stormers playmaker on his Sport Nation radio show, also revealing that his coach, ex-All Black first five Tony Brown, has put him in the same category as Dan Carter.
“There’s no area where you say, ‘He’s not a great kicker or he doesn’t run that often’,” Donald said on The Aftermatch with Kirst & Beav show.
“He ticks every box and we’ve heard it from Tony Brown, who’s not prone to make outrageous comments. He’s put him in the [Dan] Carter and [Antoine] Dupont bracket.”
“You just think he’s special and geez, he keeps delivering on the big occasions.”
Coach Erasmus had previously stated in August that the Springboks would not have a first-choice No.10, instead picking their flyhalf based on their bench composition for the opponent to remain less predictable.
“We don’t have a first choice currently,” he said.
“If it was now a semi-final or final, it will be this flyhalf. If it is a running open game and we have a 7–1 split, it will be this guy. Then, if we really want to grind it out, it will be that guy.”
The Springboks stuck to that mantra through the early part of the Rugby Championship with Mannie Libbok starting the first Test against the Wallabies in Johannesburg.
Handre Pollard then started the next two Tests, the second against Australia and then first against the All Blacks, before Feinberg-Mngomezulu was handed the reigns.
Feinberg-Mngomezulu started five Tests straight after that, before Pollard was given Italy, then he returned for the crunch game against Ireland.
Ex-All Black Donald was left impressed by another Feinberg-Mngomezulu solo try, where the No.10 burst through multiple Irish defenders on a scrum play to the right.
“You can’t keep the magic man out of it, but Sacha, his little sleight of hand, his ability to read when he needed to pass,” Donald said of his second half try.
“He sucked a couple of the Irish out. It was beautiful to watch.
“For a first-five (fly-half) with his natural ability and size, if you can get yourself into a position where a halfback’s making a side-on tackle, that’s the dream result.
“Because as he showed Jamison, not a big man, halfback, he’s gassed to have to get there.”
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