Gavin Rich's piece from Buenos Aires captures a noticeably different Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu to the one who lit up Kings Park against Argentina last year. Rather than riding that 37-point performance into Saturday's Rugby Championship opener, SFM was quick to redirect attention to the far less comfortable memory — the 29-27 squeaker at Twickenham a week later, where Argentina 'smoked him once or twice.' That self-awareness sets the tone for the whole piece. Feinberg-Mngomezulu frames his three-month injury layoff not as lost time but as a rare opportunity to work on areas of his game he'd never had space to address — a view that appears to vindicate John Dobson's measured response to the injury at the time. He's also consciously keeping his world narrowed to Saturday, pointedly declining to engage with questions about the All Blacks series ahead. What emerges is a portrait of a player who has used enforced absence to recalibrate — and who now understands his role within the Bok system more clearly, having watched a Test from the stands as a spectator. Rich also unpacks the Pollard-SFM dynamic, which turns out to be far more collaborative than the external 'competition' narrative suggests, and floats the possibility of the two operating together in the 10/12 axis if SFM's minutes are managed.
Grounded and focused: SFM's return is built on humility, not hype
Rich's Buenos Aires dispatch reveals a more grounded SFM — one leaning on the Twickenham reality check rather than the Kings Park highlight reel, and treating his return as a foundation-building exercise rather than a statement.
- Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu
- Hollywoodbets Kings Park
- Argentina
- Rugby Championship
- John Dobson
- Springboks
- New Zealand
- Handré Pollard
Hansen's Right to Back Himself — But the Boks' Five-Match Streak Tells a Different Story
Jean de Villiers acknowledges Hansen's logic but argues last year's results and performances make it hard to see the All Blacks closing the gap on the Boks — and the panel get genuinely animated over what a 2-2 series tiebreaker would even look like.
Syndesmosis injury could keep Feinberg-Mngomezulu out for three months
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu faces a three-month absence after suffering a syndesmosis injury in the Stormers' URC quarter-final win over Cardiff, potentially ruling him out of the Nations Championship Tests and part of the All Blacks series.
Feinberg-Mngomezulu and the reintegration puzzle facing Erasmus in 2025
Erasmus identifies reintegrating Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Hooker from injury as a trickier selection problem than routine rotation — with a 14-Test season, individual development roadmaps, and the 2027 timeline all pulling in different directions.
Erasmus welcomes clarity on Tony Brown's post-2027 departure: 'We've made the mistake in the past'
Tony Brown will join the All Blacks coaching staff in 2028 after his Springbok contract expires at the 2027 Rugby World Cup, with Rassie Erasmus welcoming the early clarity as SA Rugby looks to avoid the contractual uncertainty that complicated preparations for France 2023.
Tony Brown to join All Blacks backroom staff in 2028 after Springbok contract ends
NZR have confirmed Tony Brown will join the All Blacks' backroom staff in 2028 on a two-year contract, with the Springboks attack coach set to depart after the 2027 Rugby World Cup. It is the third time NZR have pursued Brown, having previously been rejected during the Foster and Robertson eras.