Sacha scoops Cameron Hanekom and Wilco Louw to win SA URC Player of the Season Award
United Rugby Championship
The Stormers Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu won the URC SA Player of the Year Award on Thursday. Photo: Backpagepix
Image: Backpagepix
The awards keep coming for Springbok and Stormers utility back Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, who has been crowned South Africa’s United Rugby Championship Player of the Season for 2024/25.
On his mantle piece, he already has the SA Rugby Young Player of the Year award. Feinberg-Mngomezulu is one of four South African players who won awards this season, with Cameron Hanekom, Deon Fourie, and Ruben van Heerden also featuring amongst the winners for 2024/25, while the Sharks were also rewarded for their innovative approach to the match day experience.
The talented 23-year-old went up against two of his Springbok teammates, the Bulls duo of Hanekom and Wilco Louw, for the prestigious South African award, and his sublime form for the Stormers, in which he dictated play with class and played a key role in the team’s goal-kicking, saw him grab the title.
Bulls prop Wilco Louw. Photo: Backpagepix
Image: Backpagepix
Feinberg-Mngomezulu follows in the footsteps of former Lions utility back Sanele Nohamba (who is currently playing in Japan), and his Stormers teammates Evan Roos and Manie Libbok, who won the award in the last three seasons.
SA Rugby President Mr Mark Alexander praised the young star’s outstanding season: “Sacha is undoubtedly one of the finest young talents in the country. His ability to deliver quality performances consistently is a testament to his excellence. He lit up the field this season and made a massive contribution to his team’s success on attack, scoring in every possible way.”
Feinberg-Mngomezulu quickly rose to prominence as a world-class playmaker, skills he backs up with a calm persona under pressure. It was these traits that saw him being nominated for the award in a process that included votes from the Springbok and franchise coaches, as well as local media.
The former Junior Springbok captain made his Test debut against Wales at Twickenham in June last year, and went on to earn eight caps for the Springboks in their impressive 2024 season, in which they won 11 out of 13 Test matches and were crowned the Rugby Championship winners.