Rugby union news: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu won’t ‘feel sorry’ for himself regarding online abuse

Sports newsRugby union newsSpringboks newsStormers news
Written By Aidan Leo

In the past week, Stormers director of rugby and head coach John Dobson and mercurial young Springbok fly-half Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu have presented a united front against online trolls and abuse.

“We have a duty of care towards Sacha,” Dobson said. “I wouldn’t like to be Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu now.”

“He’s going to be a generationally great Springbok for South Africa. We are going to look back and think ‘what a player’, how privileged we were to have our own Dan Carter.”

“To say this guy is sh*t and shouldn’t be part of the Stormers… people who know nothing about our process feel free to assassinate someone’s character,” the Stormers head coach added.

‘I shouldn’t feel sorry for myself’ says Feinberg-Mngomezulu

Feinberg-Mngomezulu gave his two cents on the criticism, commenting on the unavoidable nature of them, but equally, on his resilience to not let any detracting remarks bring down his self-confidence. 

“I see it all [the comments] because I’m on social media, whether I like it or not, it’s in my face,” the Springbok fly-half said. 

“But I don’t think it’s something I should feel sorry for myself about.

“I watch a lot of football, and I can’t imagine what the Real Madrid and Barcelona players get every weekend.

“It’s just important to understand that it’s at a very small level, and as long as my coaches and team-mates are happy with my efforts, then I’ll just let the rest take care of itself.

Focus on continuing moving forward

“I put a lot of hours into my game, whether I’m here at the High Performance Centre or not,” Feinberg-Mngomezulu continued.

“Little comments are never going to deter me from where I believe I’m going.

“And just understanding how people get it [online abuse] in other sports is also important; we get it on a small scale compared to the footballers.

“I mustn’t put my tail between my legs and cry about it; it’s just part of the job.”

READ NEXT: Rugby analysis: A look at wounded England and their 2027 Rugby World Cup chances

Aidan Leo

Aidan Leo is News Lab 24’s content editor and co-founder of SEO Lab 24. He is also a sports journalist, publisher, and content strategist with experience across digital publishing, SEO, and multimedia content production.

He covers football, rugby, basketball, Formula 1, MMA, boxing, tennis, and cricket, with a particular focus on sports news, analysis, betting content, and search-driven editorial strategy.

Alongside his publishing work, Aidan contributes to the development of aspiring writers and publishers through graduate training programmes, helping students build practical skills in journalism, content creation, SEO, and digital publishing.

Combining editorial expertise with modern search and content strategies, his work aims to deliver accurate, engaging, and informative content that serves both sports fans and bettors.

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