Feinberg-Mngomezulu criticism: 'That's certainly something Rassie Erasmus will look at'

Former Ireland fly-half Ian Madigan has raised questions over Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s recent form after the Stormers playmaker was dropped to the bench for their clash with Toulon.

Speaking on Premier Sports ahead of the Round of 16 game with the French side, Feinberg-Mngomezulu, who has been one of the standout talents of the URC season, was overlooked in the starting XV in favour of Jurie Matthee before being introduced after 51 minutes.

The Stormers went on to lose the game 28-27, but Feinberg-Mngomezulu converted an Evan Roos try before setting up and converting an Imad Khan five-pointer, begging some to question why he didn’t start in the first place.

While praising his rare athleticism and natural flair, Madigan suggested the 24-year-old, who many consider one of the best players in the sport, may be hurting himself by trying to do too much, forcing moments rather than letting the game come to him.

He also highlighted discipline as a growing concern, pointing to breakdown infringements and flashes of ill-discipline that could prove costly at the elite level.

“Yeah, he has a little bit [gone off the boil]. He’s got all the tricks physically.

“He’s an incredible athlete. We’re going to have a look at some of his clips here. His ability to take the ball to the line, his acceleration, his footwork.

“He’s got all the tricks. I think one of his issues is he’s trying to always showcase the tricks that he has and over the last probably four or five months he’s been forcing the issue a little bit.

“You know we’re probably looking at more of the highlights here than the low lights and the other area of concern I’d have with him is discipline and you know he’s got himself in trouble on a handful of occasions – going off his feet at breakdowns, leading with his forearm and even losing his temper in the game against the Scarlets earlier in the season.

“That’s something that certainly Rassie Erasmus is going to be looking at and going ‘Is that something that could make us become unstuck in a World Cup quarter-final, World Cup semi-final?’

Even so, Madigan stressed Feinberg-Mngomezulu remains a genuine game-changer off the bench.

“But what an impact guy to have coming off the bench. He’s a game changer and he certainly doesn’t lack confidence.”