The Springboks realised Saturday’s second Test against Australia in Perth will be a different kettle of fish altogether and while they soaked up the victory in Brisbane, the players and management realise they still had work to do as they headed west on Sunday.
The 33-7 victory over the Wallabies was South Africa’s first in Brisbane since 2013, and only their second over the hosts in the city since the dawn of the professional age almost 30 years ago.
Talented Springbok young flyhalf Sacha-Feinberg Mngomezulu, who earned his first Test start in the encounter said it was a memorable occasion, but despite being one of the younger players in the touring group, he was careful about getting carried away by the result.
“It felt amazing (to get that win) and I’m really happy that the guys could pull it together,” said Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
“There was a lot of talk around the curse of Suncorp, so coming here, having a good training week, and executing things well on the day was great. I’m glad we achieved that, but it’s now behind us, and we have to go again next week.”
Feinberg-Mngomezulu was thrilled to be part of the Bok squad for the Castle Lager Rugby Championship and said the senior players around him contributed immensely to his calm demeanour on the field.
“It comes naturally, and to have double Rugby World Cup-winning champions around me helps because they bring a sense of comfort and security. I feel so at home here (in the Bok team) and it allows me to be myself on the field,” he said.
Like most Springbok supporters, who have been immensely impressed with Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s meteoric rise to stardom this season, the player himself hoped that this was only the start of a great journey in the green and gold.
“It’s my crown year, so I definitely believe crown years are special. It’s really been an awesome year,” said the talented young utility back.
“To rub shoulders with my heroes and make the step up to where they are now my teammates is a dream come true. And hopefully, this is just a building block for the future.”