Out-of-form Sacha needs to lean on Stormers team-mates, says Boks’ Brown

The Stormers are currently going through a massive dip in form, and so is rising star Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, who has struggled in their last three games.

The Cape-based side have suffered three straight derby defeats, back-to-back losses against the Sharks, and then a dismal showing against the Lions at Ellis Park last weekend.

It has seen the Stormers slide down the United Rugby Championship (URC) log, which they topped before their losing run, to fifth currently, and things could get worse next weekend, when they visit the in-form Bulls at Loftus.

The Stormers luckily have a game in hand on all of the teams above them on the log, so can move up and get back in the top four mix, but to do that they will have to beat Johan Ackermann’s men, who have hit back after seven straight losses to win four in a row.

The Stormers will hope to welcome back a few important plyers for the match at Loftus next Satuday, among them Damian Willemse, Ruhan Nel and possibly Deon Fourie, while even more important will be the improved form of maverick Feinberg-Mngomezulu.

The 24-year-old captained the Stormers for the first time in January, and after a winning start in the Champions Cup against Leicester Tigers, he led the team in both defeats against the Sharks.

Lost captaincy

Going into the Lions match the captaincy was taken off him and handed to JD Schickerling, partly to allow the No 10 to focus on his own game and rediscover his touch, but he unfortunately produced another poor performance.

Earlier this week at a Springbok media day, Bok attack coach Tony Brown said he believes that Feinberg-Mngomezulu was putting too much pressure on himself and trying to do everything alone, and that he needed to trust his teammates more.

When asked about his struggles, Brown joked: “I’ll give him a cuddle, he’ll be OK.”

On a more serious note, Brown added: “In the Springbok environment, the way we train, the way we play and the way we use every player to do his job, he fits in and it’s easy for him. He understands his role. He doesn’t have to do everything on his own.

“The Stormers are in a bit of a slump and he’s probably trying to do too much by himself. If I have to say something to him, it would be: use the players around you more, don’t always try to take everyone on yourself.”

A major problem for the Stormers, however, is their tendency to overplay, and Feinberg-Mngomezulu is a big part of that, so both he and the team will need to maybe take a breath and play in a calmer manner.

The young flyhalf has also taken part in the first Springbok alignment camp of the season in Cape Town this week, and that will hopefully have also given him a bit of a confidence boost heading back to the Stormers.