Rassie Erasmus is very pleased with Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu's development, viewing him as a key part of the Springboks' future and a player who can handle intense pressure.
He has emphasised a deliberate, long-term plan to integrate the young player into the Test environment with the 2027 World Cup in mind.
Erasmus has stated the team is "trying to build him up" by exposing him to tough opposition under difficult circumstances, to test his character and prepare him for top-tier rugby.
“We want Sacha to learn lessons in every game, like playing in France and Ireland under pressure, that’s a different thing.
“Playing here against Ireland on Saturday with Zombie playing, he will understand a bit of pressure that comes from that.”
“So we aim to develop him from level to level, with different centres next to him. We are trying to keep the combination of him and Cobus pretty tight.”
“They are also the Stormers pairing now.”
Ahead of the recent match against Ireland in Dublin, Erasmus warned that Feinberg-Mngomezulu would face a "different level" of pressure, another deliberate test of his development at the Test level.
“We have a word in Afrikaans called a ‘snotklap’, and he can get a ‘snotklap’ in the face somewhere in a game and realise this is a different level.
“So that’s going to happen to him somewhere, and then he must handle that.
“And we are trying to get him through all those different stages of intensity.”
“In the beginning, he was very confident, but he struggled to express himself. He was buggering up the game plan, and then he started to understand that there is a place for his skills in the game plan.
“Then he started to talk and ask a lot of questions and really demanded a lot more from the guys around him because the No.10 is running the backline and plays.
“He’s always had the talent on the field, but I think he is growing mentally and feeling comfortable.
