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Cobus Reinach downplays pressure talk on Bok with 'rugby in his blood'
South Africa head coach Rassie Erasmus scoffed at the idea of dropping rookie flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu to the bench this weekend for the visit from the All Blacks, emphasising that they have been building towards this moment for him all year.
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The six-cap Springbok may only be 22 years of age, but he has overcome every challenge thrown his way so far since making his debut against Wales in June, so the only logical step for Erasmus was to see how he fares against their greatest rivals.
Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s selection at flyhalf for round three of the Rugby Championship may have surprised many who expected the Boks to revert to a more experienced side. Springboks legend Percy Montgomery was one who was fairly convinced that Handre Pollard would start at Ellis Park when joining RugbyPass TV’s most recent episode of the Boks Office. But Erasmus has never been afraid to make big calls.
This match is perhaps as big as Test rugby gets outside of the World Cup, and is indeed a repeat of the World Cup final last October. But Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s halfback partner Cobus Reinach has backed his teammate to rise to the occasion, saying he has “rugby in his blood”.
The Montpellier No9 knows a “big team effort” will be required to win in Johannesburg, but has downplayed any suggestion that there is pressure on his young teammate.
“Sacha has rugby in his blood,” he said. “I saw a thank you speech he did when he was 13 years-old, and that’s the type of confidence he has on the field.
“When he goes out there, he just wants to express himself, and as a team we all back him.
“He may be young, but he is not under pressure. We all have a job to do, and we back each other to do it, so if someone makes a mistake, we help each other, try to fix it, and move onto the next job.”
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