Major Feinberg-Mngomezulu blow as Stormers count the costs of URC victory
· Citizen
The Springboks and Stormers suffered a major blow when star flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu limped off the field during their United Rugby Championship (URC) quarter-final win over Cardiff in Cape Town on Saturday.
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Feinberg-Mngomezulu ran in a lovely try in the second half of their 44-21 victory, but as he was coming in to get closer to the poles, he was tackled by Cardiff flyhalf Ioan Lloyd, and he stayed down for treatment after dotting the ball down.
He still has to go for scans to determine the extent of the injury, which initially didn’t look too bad after he walked off the field himself, albeit with a limp, but Feinberg-Mngomezulu was later seen leaving the ground on crutches.
Stormers director of rugby John Dobson said they were expecting the worst, which could see the backline star out for a couple of months and potentially rule him out of the start of the international season for the Boks.
But Dobson tried to put a positive spin on the probable loss by backing Stormers backup flyhalf Jurie Mathee who may have to step in for their URC semifinal against Leinster in Dublin next weekend.
‘Pretty serious’
“It looks pretty serious, to be honest. He’s obviously going for a scan, but the doctor has given me his view, and it’s a proper ankle ligament injury. He was cramping a bit before then (the try), and then (Lloyd) got him from behind,” explained Dobson.
“It’s a big blow, but we’re going to be okay. Jurie Matthee is doing really well in the team. You always have blows, but we always sort of get together, gel together and fight, so I think we’re going to be okay.”
Feinberg-Mngomezulu wasn’t the only blow for the Stormers, who are also potentially losing another three players for their next URC play-off, including the incredibly unlucky Seabelo Senatla, who was playing just his sixth game of the season due to various injuries.
“Senatla is a criteria 1 (concussion), so he was knocked out and won’t play next week. I thought he was absolutely magnificent. For a guy who’s been out for so long, he was imperious in the air, on defence and with his work rate. It’s a hell of an effort,” said Dobson.
“(Ruben) van Heerden (lock) was withdrawn at the break due to an HIA, while Dan (du Plessis, centre) has a knee injury. So, it was an expensive game.”
The Stormers will now be kicking themselves for the way their pool campaign ended, with a draw against Ulster and a loss against Cardiff both away, which pushed them from top of the log to third, as they now have to travel to Ireland for their semifinal, possibly with a weakened group.