Cape Town - It was when one of then 12-year-old Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s sports coaches told his father Nick that he’d “bet his liver” the kid would make it to the big leagues, that Feinberg senior knew his son must have some serious rugby talent.
Up to that point, his Chelsea-loving dad probably pictured his kid in the kit of his beloved Blues at Stamford Bridge in the next few years or so.
“I maintain Sach was as good if not a better footballer than rugby player,” a proud Feinberg tells Weekend Argus of his son’s versatility as a sportsman.
“In my opinion, he could have made it in the Beautiful Game. You can check him on TikTok doing stuff with a rugby ball that most footballers can’t do with a football.
“But he was around 12 years old when one of his sports coaches said to me: ‘I bet my liver he’ll be in a WP shirt in the next few years’.
“From around that age, he was impressing crowds at school with his skill set and even as a football guy I could see something special… .”
@sachgome 5 fivers from this season! #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #rugby #sport ♬ original sound - Sacha Feinberg - Mngomezulu
Fast forward a decade or so and a 22-year-old Feinberg-Mngomezulu, wearing the green and gold of the Springboks, gets the ball deep within his own half at Free State Stadium and starts a counter-attack.
He hops and skips past the first Portugal defender, throws a dummy to beat the second, pins his ears back, opens his arms, draws in the opposing wing and gets a one-handed offload off to one of his childhood 2019 World Cup heroes Makazole Mapimpi to score as they beat Portugal 64-21.
A star is born. The crowd goes wild and cheers one name – Sacha!
It’s here where rugby’s big dreamers usually wake up to the cold reality of having to get into the shower and get ready for their day job.
But not Feinberg-Mngomezulu, he is different – he was born that way.
“From the time Sacha could walk he could run. And whenever he saw water, he’d drop everything and just run at the water and dive in, whether it was a swimming pool, the ocean, a lake or a puddle.
“He did this before he could officially swim, but if no one could catch him, he managed not to sink,” his dad recalled.
Not sinking when “thrown into the deep end” and in fact, racing to that “deep end” is a trait the youngster would carry into his rugby career.
As a former Junior Springbok captain and a promising youngster who made his Stormers debut just two years ago, he was always expected to make it to the very top.
But no one really expected him to be involved in all four Tests – one against Wales, two against Ireland and one against Portugal – the Boks played to date this year.
The former Bishops pupil, though, took to international rugby like a duck to water, already scoring 24 points coming off the bench and providing moments of magic like creating THAT Mapimpi try out of nothing against Portugal last week.
Feinberg-Mngomezulu is one of those classy players who never really seems to get overawed by the big occasion and always has time on the ball.
But it wasn’t always smooth sailing since his older brother Nathan, who Feinberg senior said was “instrumental in Sacha’s development” and “a good rugby player himself as well as a gifted cricketer” introduced him to the oval ball.
“I can sum it up in the following three words, blood, sweat and tears, although the tears have been mine 95 percent of the time,” explained Nick, or “Sacha’s dad” or “SD” for short, as he is now known in the offices of Heart FM, where he is the head of creative.
“Rugby is a brutal game. Which parent wants to visit casualty continuously over the years? He’s had many injuries, some operations and moments like getting his front four teeth smashed in, with a challenge through his gum guard at Boland Landbou.
“He’s been great with dealing with that and accepted, even as a schoolboy, that it’s part of the game. The countless hours of practice, often alone kicking at poles, the countless trials and competitions to make his way through the system. The early weekends, the sore body, the crying dad, sometimes with joy.
“When I think back to the early WP days, Grant Khomo Week, more trials annually, Craven Week, more trials, SA Schools, Junior Boks, SA A, Stormers, Boks… trials, trials, trials.
“It’s relentless, but those are the hurdles every player has to get over to get a shot at elite level. And then [where Sacha is now] having to earn that shirt and moving forward, trying to retain it. It’s tough… .”
While a tear or two was never far away, Feinberg never let his emotions get the best of him when dealing with his children.
Even when overhearing people around him talk about his son and wanting to “turn around and let them know I’m his dad”, he did his best to hold it down.
Pushy parents can often be overly emotional when it comes to their children.
And with two successful sons – Nathan is a star in his own right, having starred in the Netflix TV series Too Hot to Handle – Nick believes the key is to teach your kids to just be nice to everyone.
@nathansoan Kinda rate a suit
♬ batman - riley
“I’ve NEVER laid an angry hand on ’em. And they’ve had their naughty times,” he explains.
“I’ve never pushed them academically, sport-wise or in any aspect. I wasn’t a screaming dad on the touchline. I always encouraged confidence and the importance of ‘being nice to everyone; not very profound, but, in my opinion, so important”.
Hard work and dedication is nothing without natural talent and Feinberg credits the boys’ mother Makhosazana Mngomezulu for “those solid genes” and adds that he “couldn’t have done it without her love and commitment to the children”.
— Nick Feinberg (@thehonestnick) October 16, 2023
As for “Sach”, he is now getting ready to tackle Australia Down Under with the Springboks.
No longer an up-and-coming youngster in the WP and Stormers set-up, he is set to become a regular feature for the Springboks and is on the fast track to superstardom – which has so often been the downfall of many promising sportsmen.
“Young [players often get] big headed and stupid! Like we see so often in football… buying fast cars, jewellery and ‘impressing’ in nightclubs,” said Feinberg senior on the possible pitfalls for young sports stars.
“I think Sacha is aware of the value of money and not obsessed with showing off. He’s always been very respectful to his seniors and has a humble disposition. I think these attributes will keep his head screwed on.”
Before Sacha joins up with the Bok squad in Johannesburg this Sunday, there is sure to be a few competitive games of backgammon, eating “great” food, watching sport and cracking jokes in the Feinberg household this weekend.
But in-between the laughs and fun times, the family are all too aware of what representing South Africa means to the Feinbergs.
“My dad [Barry] had to get out of SA in 1961 and lived for 30 years in exile. I was born and bred in London and ‘returned’ to SA in 1994,” explained Feinberg.
“Now, our boy is representing our country at the highest level of sport, donning the green and gold in packed stadiums in front of a global audience.
“I couldn’t be prouder. It’s closed the loop on my family story.
“I can’t help but cry like a baby every time he’s lined up on the pitch with the 23 singing the anthem. It’s almost like all the hard times my family have been through, all the difficulties in SA, the recent death of my dad, all of Sacha’s hard work and commitment, my efforts as a father over the years, which have often been really tough, all rise up in that moment with a huge emotional outburst.
“It’s deep, but beautiful at the same time.”
What a fuckin day! 💚![CDATA[]]>💛![CDATA[]]>🇿![CDATA[]]>🇦![CDATA[]]>😭 pic.twitter.com/fijv7aQG2T
— Nick Feinberg (@thehonestnick) June 22, 2024
dudley.carstens@inl.co.za