Following his first start in a Springbok jersey, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu said it was a dream come true to play alongside some legends of the game.
The 22-year-old had a handful of caps to his name, but it was his first start in the number 10 jersey for the Springboks as they dispatched hosts Australia 33-7 in Brisbane in their Rugby Championship opener on Saturday.
Kurt-Lee Arendse (2), Kwagga Smith, Pieter-Steph du Toit and Siya Kolisi all crossed the whitewash in a convincing performance from South Africa.
The Stormers flyhalf slotted four of his five conversion attempts and was a key part of a convincing display from the Rugby World Cup champions.
Kurt-Lee 'The Silent Assassin' Arendse 😤⭐
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Building block for the future
“It’s my crown year. This has been the most awesome year ever. To rub shoulders with my heroes and to see them as my teammates now is just a dream come true. I hope that this year is just a building block for the future,” said Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
It was the Springboks' first victory at Suncorp Stadium since 2013, and just their fourth-ever victory in Brisbane.
“I feel amazing. I’m so happy the guys could pull it together. There was a bit of talk about the curse of Suncorp. To have a good training week and then execute and put points on the board against a quality outfit was our goal.”
Playing in the star-studded lineup of the Springbok team, was another source of inspiration for the youngster.
“The guys around me are double world cup champs and their aura rubs off on me. They provide me with clarity and security. I feel so at home here that it allows me to be myself on the field and do my job properly.”
Meanwhile, lock Salmaan Moerat came on in the 53rd minute and was also more than pleased with the outing.
“It was a very special evening for us. We played really well and did most things we spoke about during the week. It was an unfortunate injury to RG and Ruan, so I got the call in the last minute but I was really grateful as it’s always special to represent your country,” said the 26-year-old.
“It takes a proper team effort to get a result like that. Defensively we were up there, the guys looked very desperate and the scoreline showed that as they only scored one try.”