Africa-Press – South-Africa. Regardless of whether he’s going to continue waving the Rainbow Flag or swap it for the St George’s Cross, Sacha Mngomezulu will have to contend with a lot of noise over his future, at least in the short-term.
And that, according to legendary Springbok wing Breyton Paulse, will require substantial guidance from his immediate support structure.
The 20-year-old Stormers sensation, who led the Junior Springboks to an unbeaten campaign in this year’s European Summer Series, has the spotlight shining on him squarely following a report that England coach Eddie Jones is planning to make a “swoop” on the youngster, who holds a British passport through his father.
Mngomezulu is contracted to the Cape franchise until 2025 and has previously expressed his desire to play for the Springboks.
Following a superb performance in last weekend’s URC victory over Zebre, Stormers mentor John Dobson hailed him as “the future” of the franchise.
“Sacha definitely has the makings of becoming a great player. What’s important for him now is that the people close to him keep him grounded. A coach like John Dobson will definitely make sure that he stays calm and focused. But he definitely ticks all the boxes,” Paulse told a URC roundtable event on Thursday.
“He’s one serious talent, we’ve all seen that already. He was the captain of the SA Under-20 team that won in Italy. He’s got leadership qualities and all the skills. He can really play, he has wonderful feel for the game.
“The challenge is that when a youngster like him gets an opportunity and grabs it, people and opposition immediately take notice. They put a target on your back and you’re going to be tested already.”
Unsurprisingly, the Roses’ interest has led to further rumours that Mngomezulu could be fast-tracked into the South Africa ‘A’ squad, which will be touring parallelly with the Boks on their year-end tour to Europe next month.
Paulse, who himself was arguably rushed into a Green-and-Gold jersey as a 20-year-old back in 1996, admitted to feeling conflicted about that prospect, even though it’s a distinct possibility.
“I know it’s early days and he still needs to prove himself consistently at a high level, but last week, in an almost flat-looking Stormers team, he was the one shining light for me,” he said.
“[National selection] is going to happen sooner than later. I don’t know whether the Boks will take him on tour, it could be a little bit early. Yet these days, coaches aren’t afraid to give youngsters an opportunity. We’ve seen how successful a 19-year-old in Canan Moodie has been for the Bulls and Boks. I won’t be surprised if they give Sacha a shot.
“The sooner you get him into the system, the better. But then there’s also the talk of Manie Libbok putting up his hand. Each player brings different attributes. Sacha has a little bit more of everything in his game. He can have flair and keep it tighter. It makes him an attractive future option for the way the Springboks play.”
The Stormers resume their URC tour on Friday night against Ospreys.
Kick-off is at 20:35.
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