Kings Park memories fuel Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu ahead of Sharks URC clash
UNITED RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu scored a record 37 points the last time he played at Kings Park and will look to replicate that Bok performance when he runs out for the Stormers against the Sharks on Saturday afternoon.
Image: EPCR
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu will draw inspiration from one of the most electrifying performances of his young career when the Stormers face the Sharks in their United Rugby Championship (URC) revenge derby at Kings Park on Saturday.
The flyhalf lit up the same venue against Argentina last year, racking up a Springbok-record 37 points in a Test match as virtually everything he touched turned to gold.
Now back at the Shark Tank in Durban (5pm kick-off) for the first time since that special day, Feinberg-Mngomezulu will be eager to channel that magic as the Stormers look to revive their URC campaign following last weekend’s defeat to the JP Pietersen-coached outfit in Cape Town.
“It would be silly not to lean on that for a bit of confidence,” Feinberg-Mngomezulu said.
“The last time I was at the stadium, I had a great game. I want to repeat that for my club this weekend. So, it is not something I will shut out or pretend it did not happen. I am proud of that day, and I want to do the best job I can for the Stormers.
“We played fairly well last week, and it is down to a couple of departments that we must sharpen up. I don’t think any team wants to go into the break with a back-to-back loss, especially with the way we started the competition.
“We know there is one big push this weekend, and although there are some sore bodies, we are psychologically and physically ready. Hopefully, we will go into the break with a smile on our faces after that.”
The visitors made a couple of changes to their starting team, with Damian Willemse slotting in at fullback, while rookie Jonathan Roche will take the No 12 jersey. Speedster Dylan Maart also makes a welcome return in place of the struggling Suleiman Hartzenberg.
In the forwards, the experienced Oli Kebble will pack down in the front row with hooker André-Hugo Venter and tighthead Neethling Fouché. Adré Smith is back as the enforcer four-lock, and together with eighthman Evan Roos, they must bring the grunt on the attack and defence to the Stormers’ pack.
Assistant coach Dawie Snyman said they planned to make the changes a while ago, and it was not a knee-jerk reaction to last weekend’s loss.
“It was pre-planned. We were looking to give Damian a run at 15, and Johnny has been doing well at 12. It had nothing to do with the result. We must ensure that we rotate our squad and give game time to certain players.
“You seldom play the same opposition twice in a row, but it is a nice challenge that we don’t have to wait to play the Sharks again. I am sure the guys are burning to get on the field again. The preparation is, in a sense, easier.”
Stormers XV
15 Damian Willemse, 14 Dylan Maart, 13 Wandisile Simelane, 12 Jonathan Roche, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (captain), 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Ben-Jason Dixon, 6 Paul de Villiers, 5 Ruben van Heerden, 4 Adré Smith, 3 Neethling Fouché, 2 André-Hugo Venter, 1 Oli Kebble.
Replacements: 16 JJ Kotzé, 17 Ntuthuko Mchunu, 18 Zachary Porthen, 19 JD Schickerling, 20 Marcel Theunissen, 21 Stefan Ungerer, 22 Jurie Matthee, 23 Warrick Gelant.