Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu will win many matches for the Stormers and Springboks in the next decade, such is his potential and brilliance, but in Belfast on Friday night, he lost a game for the Cape-based franchise when his class should have been the difference.
There is no bigger cheerleader for the flamboyance of Feinberg-Mngomezulu than me. SACHA FM, I call him when on the Keo & Zels podcast. My podcast mate Zelim Nel’s description is as affectionate: “RADIO”.
But momentary stupidity can’t be masked or excused because of natural ability, flamboyance and rugby genius.
I hope that RADIO never loses his frequency again as he did in Belfast. It was a coach killer, but more than that, it was a team killer. He did his teammates dirty through a mindless act, having dazzled with his individualism in the first 35 minutes, if not necessarily his collective as the general of a game in which his team led 17-0 in the first quarter.
Don’t be fooled by a 38-34 Stormers defeat, two losing bonus points on the road and any talk of heroics. This was more suicide than sacrifice.
Momentary stupidity can’t be masked or excused because of natural ability, flamboyance and rugby genius
The captain of the night, Neethling Fouche, was red-carded just after half-time, but he was hard done by because the attacker dropped his head, shoulders and ran for a red card to any tackler.
Fouche’s injustice was the only injustice on a night when the Stormers beat themselves and gifted Ulster five league points.
Ulster conceded 40 points at home to Bordeaux in the Investec Champions Cup. They took 60 against Toulouse on the road. They lost at home to Zebre.
On Friday night, they trailed 17-0 after six minutes and then led 31-20 on 50 minutes.
A team that has been a punch bag to big teams, scored five unanswered tries after trailing 17-0. There is no way to put that politely for the Stormers.
It turned on RADIO’s lost frequency, a minute before half-time. The Stormers led 17-12 and the only surprise was how Ulster had 12.
A breakaway, an innocuous chip from the Ulster winger because five Stormers were covering the kick, and Mngomezulu changed his defensive line, ran towards the attacker and elbowed him. Penalty, yellow card and, from the subsequent penalty play, an Ulster try.
Ulster were 17-all and they could not believe it.
Neither could anyone watching in Cape Town.
Discipline would have been the message at half-time from coach John Dobson.
The result was Damian Willemse’s defensive moment of madness within a minute of the restart. Again, an innocuous phase of play turned into a seven pointer for the hosts.
Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Willemse are two of the best backs in world rugby. They would start in any team in the world. They are that good.
But the stupidity each showed, in defensive judgement, was inexcusable in Belfast. Neither act was ever going to benefit their teammates. Neither act should have happened.
I am dumbfounded that these two special talents could create such chaos for a team collective with such poor decision-making.
Both will have golden moments, at home for the Stormers in the last four league games, and for the Springboks, but it won’t change the history of Friday night in Belfast.
Hopefully, the lessons are painful because the good times normally are a reward from hard lessons.
The Stormers’ execution, discipline and error rate were poor for players of this quality, more so after leading 17-0 before most had taken their seats.
The last play of the game was a lost attacking Stormers lineout that went to no-one. It summed up their performance.
Redemption will be in their four home matches to make the play-offs, which they should win, but the redemption that will salvage a campaign must come from within the match 23, especially those individuals who dabbled in momentary manic madness when their playing pedigree is that of magicians.
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