So there I was, prepped and ready to go with my laptop on my lap and my notepad at the ready.
It’s United Rugby Championship time and while the Stormers are facing last year’s wooden-spooners Zebre, word is the Italians have improved a lot.
Mense, and then came the sounds and pictures from the ground…
Next thing I knew, the missus tapped me on the shoulder and while I looked at her confused, wiping the sleep from my eyes, she asked: “Kyk jy nie rugby nie?”
I had to, but it was painful.
I am not about to name and shame anyone, but the two commentators – one of whom was South African – sounded like they were calling action from Gary Player – yes, outydse golf commentary is my reference – lining up a tee shot on the 18th. Na ‘n laaang dag ook nog.
The lack of crowd noises reminded me of the early Covid days when stadiums were empty and the ground in Italy made me think these guys were playing for a posh English school against their rich neighbours.
Not for me, thanks Italy.
I HAD TO watch the game again after missing most of the first half because I fell asleep and it was equally torturous the second time around – this time I turned off the sound.
Thank goodness for the game of rugby which never ceases to amaze me. The latest amazement came in the form of Sacha Mngomezulu.
Now I’ve been excited about youngsters in the past – I’ve even gone as far as to say that Damian Willemse was the most naturally-gifted player I have seen coming from South Africa in the last two decades.
Mngomezulu, by Stormers coach John Dobson’s admission, is a lot like Willemse.
Here’s the thing though, the 20-year-old has a maturity to his game that I felt was lacking in Willemse’s game in his early days.
Mngomezulu oozes calm and understands that the team comes first.
By now we’ve all seen his talents, but what makes him – in my opinion – the next big thing in South African rugby is his temperament.
He looks like a player who has time on the ball and you know what they say about them. He looks like a player who can be trusted to go out and get the job done – as much was proven by his goal-kicking on the day.
It so often happens that when a player has the skill, he lacks the temperament or understanding of his role to step into the big time.
Mngomezulu is the complete package and therefore I don’t think there is a risk of over-hyping or overplaying the youngster. Sy kop lyk reg aansgeskroef.
Evidence of this was when he put Herschel Jantjies away for his try, while he could easily have gone for the five-pointer himself. I know of a lot of young glory-hunters who would have darted for the line instead on their own. Not Mngomezulu.
Here’s the thing, though; are calls for him to be included in the Springbok squad for the end-of-year tour justified?
It’s clear for all to see he has a bright future ahead of him. And what counts in his favour is that Mngomezulu is the current SA U20 captain.
Because of that, he will know exactly what to do if he has to step up to the senior team.
That is why you have a director of rugby. Rassie Erasmus is not there for social media entertainment or to coach the Springbok team.
His job is to make sure that the Springbok brand is the same from the top down to the bottom.
That means when the U20s make it to the national team, they will have an advantage in that they have already been handed the “Bok blueprint”.
It’s Rassie’s job to make sure that the same principles and tactics the Springbok wish to apply in international rugby, filters down to the junior teams.
Therefore, when these players graduate to senior rugby, they don’t still have to go through all the “how the Boks do things” learnings. They are ready-made.
That’s perhaps where he has an advantage over a player like Manie Libbok.
Some of my colleagues reported earlier in the week that the Boks are ready to test Libbok and Gianni Lombard for the A team on their end-of-year tour.
Lombard I get. But if Libbok performs from now until then, make him part of the big leagues.
Get Libbok into the squad with the groot manne and play the likes of Mngomezulu, Lombard, Jordan Hendrikse or whoever in the A team. That way they get to rub shoulders with the big dogs while getting a taste of Bok rugby.
As for Libbok, test his Test readiness in a Test and let the youngsters run free for the A side.
Besides, I reckon it won’t be that long before Mngomezulu wears the Green and Gold No.10 jumper.