Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu returns to the Springbok starting XV for Saturday's Rugby Championship clash against Argentina in Buenos Aires, with the flyhalf set to earn his 20th Test cap at Estadio José Amalfitani (21h10 SA time, SuperSport).
Feinberg-Mngomezulu is among several players returning from injury, alongside Siya Kolisi, Eben Etzebeth, Lood de Jager and Morne van den Berg. He partners Cobus Reinach at halfback, with the scrumhalf having been one of the Boks' standout performers during the July series.
The 23-year-old described his rehabilitation period as frustrating but productive, using the time away from the field to work on technical areas of his game. So keen was he to stay connected to the squad that he travelled to Johannesburg to watch the England Test from the stands.
"Not being able to help my team was frustrating, and the Springbok equation was even worse," he said. "But I used the time to look at the game from a more technical aspect, and develop in the areas that I probably didn't have time to work on before."
He was measured about his return, stressing continuity over individual impact. "The one thing no one can say is that the Springbok team doesn't function, whoever is in the picture. I'm just coming in trying to facilitate that and keep progressing our game."
On his partnership with Reinach, Feinberg-Mngomezulu recalled a defining moment from their first Test together against the All Blacks, when Reinach gestured him toward the posts for a long-range penalty attempt. "That will forever stick out and really defines our relationship. He takes me under his wing, but we're also good buddies."
He is under no illusions about the difficulty of the assignment in Buenos Aires. The Boks won their most recent meeting with Los Pumas by just two points in last year's Rugby Championship, and Feinberg-Mngomezulu acknowledged it was not among his better performances. "They got the better of me once or twice, so I'm not coming in with a big head. I'm very humble and just ready to do my job."