Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s “impressive goal-kicking” is one of the reasons he has been handed the Springbok No 10 jersey for Saturday’s Rugby Championship opener against the Wallabies in Brisbane (6.30am SA time start).
Bok coach Rassie Erasmus may have caught many fans off-guard on Tuesday by giving Feinberg-Mngomezulu a starting berth against Australia away, especially considering the South Africans’ relatively poor record Down Under over the last decade.
But perhaps the special skill-set that the 22-year-old Stormers star possesses might just be the tonic the world champions require to register just their second victory in 13 Tests in the professional era in Brisbane.
Regular flyhalf Handré Pollard will play off the bench at the Suncorp Stadium.
“Sacha has made a notable impact off the bench in all four Tests he has played so far, and he’s slotted into the system with ease, so we are excited to see what dynamic he adds to the team as a starter,” Erasmus said on Tuesday.
“His goal-kicking has also been impressive, and we know that against teams like Australia, New Zealand, and Argentina the margins are very small, so every point will count.”
The other major selection talking point is at No 8, where Bulls bruiser Elrigh Louw gets a chance to prove that he could be a long-term replacement for the retired Duane Vermeulen.
Louw has played mainly at blindside flank for his franchise, but has always been keen to operate from the back of the scrum.
Stormers stalwart Evan Roos was left out of the touring squad, and has subsequently decided to have surgery to fix a shoulder problem, while Jasper Wiese is serving out the last two matches of his suspension and will be available to face the All Blacks in South Africa on August 31.
Kwagga Smith, who started at No 8 against Ireland in July, will go back to his impact role off the bench, where he will be joined by Marco van Staden and Ben-Jason Dixon as loose-forward options – although Dixon can also fill in at lock.
Erasmus added that RG Snyman is battling with an injury niggle, so there is a possibility that Bulls captain Ruan Nortjé could slot straight in at No 5 despite not being among the replacements.
With Faf de Klerk among the injured group, Cobus Reinach will start at scrumhalf, with Grant Williams on the bench.
“We’re also keen to see what Elrigh brings to the game, given his consistently strong performances for the Bulls in the last few seasons and off the bench against Portugal,” Erasmus said.
“With Pieter-Steph (du Toit) and Siya (Kolisi) alongside him, he’ll have good guidance to play to his strengths and do what he does best.
“One of the big talking points for us as a team from the beginning of the season was that we need to get the balance right between selecting teams featuring youth and experience as we build toward towards the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
“We’re pleased with the way we’ve been able to integrate some of the young players into the squad this season and give them game time against top opposition.
“We rested several players against Portugal to ensure that we had a fresh squad for the Rugby Championship, while a few young players really grabbed the opportunity to show what they can do in the first four Tests of the season.
“We’re excited to see what they have to offer against a team such as Australia which plays a vastly different style of rugby to that which we faced against Wales, Ireland and Portugal.
“Sacha and Ben-Jason showed proper class when they earned their chance to play this season and we are looking forward to seeing them in action against the Wallabies.
“We only face the southern hemisphere teams in the Rugby Championship now, so we know they’ll pose a completely different challenge to the sides we’ve faced to date.
“They are also playing on their home turf, where they have a good track record against us in the last few years, so we know it’s going to be a massive challenge.
“The fact that they are facing the world champions at home and knowing full well that they are hosting the 2027 World Cup will also inspire them, while we also have no doubt that they are desperate to climb the world rankings.
“They are a well-coached team with good playmakers, so they’ll definitely be charged up for Saturday’s match-up.”
Springbok Team
15 Willie le Roux 14 Cheslin Kolbe 13 Jesse Kriel 12 Damian de Allende 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu 9 Cobus Reinach 8 Elrigh Louw 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit 6 Siya Kolisi (captain) 5 RG Snyman 4 Eben Etzebeth 3 Frans Malherbe 2 Bongi Mbonambi 1 Ox Nche.
Bench: 16 Malcolm Marx 17 Gerhard Steenekamp 18 Vincent Koch 19 Ben-Jason Dixon 20 Marco van Staden 21 Kwagga Smith 22 Grant Williams 23 Handré Pollard.