Victor Matfield wants Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu to show he can be more than just a provider of magic moments when the Springboks face Italy in Turin on Saturday.
The 24-year-old flyhalf remains one of the most exciting talents in world rugby, but Matfield believes he needs to cut out the errors and take greater control of the Bok attack.
“He’s been good at times but he’s had a few issues where he’s been maybe too loose, made too many errors,” the former Bok captain said on the Rugby Rivals podcast.
“This is a tour where he will have to show that he can manage the game as well and not the flyhalf who’s just going to do magic moments, do special things.”
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Matfield wants to see the young playmaker manage field position, use his kicking game and keep the team calm before looking to unleash his attacking instincts.
“It’s going to be important for him to control the game and as the game hopefully opens up then we will see some of the Sacha magic,” he said.
Matfield also believes the Springboks need to find the right balance between their traditional forward-dominated approach and the attacking threats in their backline.
South Africa relied heavily on their set-piece and pressure game during the hard-fought Greatest Rivalry series win against the All Blacks, but Matfield would like to see the backs given more opportunities to express themselves.
That will place added responsibility on Feinberg-Mngomezulu and scrumhalf Morné van den Berg.
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“It’s a young [halfback] pairing, so just controlling it first, starting off nice and easy but, as the game opens up, I would like to see our backs really have a go,” Matfield said.
“We’ve got some fantastic backs, our back three is really dangerous, so hopefully we can get a little bit more of that balance.
“First, dominate up front but then let’s have a go with our backs as well.”
Photo: Craig Butland/MB Media/Getty Images
The post Big Vic tells Sacha: Less flash, more control appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Victor Matfield wants Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu to show he can be more than just a provider of magic moments when the Springboks face Italy in Turin on Saturday.
The post Big Vic tells Sacha: Less flash, more control appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
