Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu Says Boks Are Not Near Required Standards After 66-7 Italy Win

• Springbok flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu warned that South Africa still have significant ground to cover despite thrashing Italy 66-7 in the Nations Championship
• The 24-year-old scored an acrobatic solo try as the Boks ran in nine tries, six of which came in a dominant first half
• Feinberg-Mngomezulu pointed to back-to-back fixtures against France and Ireland as the real test of where the world champions stand

Springbok flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu delivered a stark message after South Africa's emphatic 66-7 victory over Italy in the Nations Championship on 9 November 2026, insisting the result should not mask how much work remains for the world champions.

The Boks were clinical from the opening whistle, leading 45-0 at half-time after scoring six tries in a commanding first-half display. Feinberg-Mngomezulu himself set the tone early, finishing with an acrobatic dive in the corner following a clever dummy to beat his defender. A relentless driving maul from the pack added further misery for Italy as the tries kept coming.

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Despite the scoreline, the 24-year-old quickly separated the result from the performance.

"I think it's a very special feeling to get to a change room after a game and not be 100% happy with the performance we put out there, although the scoreline looked good," Feinberg-Mngomezulu said, according to SABC Sport.

"It's a good confidence booster for the boys, but also a great reality check that we know we're not near where we need to be."

Boks Identify Gaps Ahead of France and Ireland Tests

The second half was noticeably more fragmented than the first, and Feinberg-Mngomezulu acknowledged that the team's execution fell short of the high standards they set for themselves.

"We did very well in the beginning to stick to our structures. It was far from a perfect performance from us," he said.

"We got a lot to work on for the next three big fixtures, but to tick a box at a very passionate and packed stadium was great for the boys."

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South Africa face France next Friday before taking on Ireland, with the Nations Championship finals weekend closing out November. For Feinberg-Mngomezulu, the value of back-to-back fixtures lies in the preparation time that builds week on week.

"The nice thing with these back-to-back fixtures is your preparation from week to week that all accumulates by the time you need it most," he said.

"So next week we'll be going in with two weeks of preparation, which is going to help us. I think we laid a good foundation."

The Boks walked away from the Italy fixture with nine tries and a renewed sense of direction, but their flyhalf made it clear the scoreboard doesn't tell the full story of where this team needs to go.

Springboks name team for France Test with two changes

Briefly News also reported that Rassie Erasmus had made two changes to the Springboks' matchday squad for their Nations Championship showdown against France in Paris on Friday, 13 November 2026.

Wilco Louw has been promoted to the starting XV, while Cobus Reinach returns to the replacements bench.

Source: Briefly News