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Springboks Mania! Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu Breaks Records as South Africa Dominates Rugby World Rankings!

Published 1 week ago3 minute read
Pelumi Ilesanmi
Pelumi Ilesanmi
Springboks Mania! Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu Breaks Records as South Africa Dominates Rugby World Rankings!

Round 5 of the Rugby Championship on Saturday saw significant victories for both the Springboks and the All Blacks. The Springboks delivered a resounding 67-30 triumph over Argentina in Durban, while their rivals, the All Blacks, continued their 31-year unbeaten run at Eden Park by defeating the Wallabies 33-24 in Auckland earlier that day.

The Springboks' dominant performance against Los Pumas was orchestrated meticulously, particularly on attack, where they ran in nine tries. This commanding victory allowed South Africa to maintain its position as the number one ranked team in the latest World Rugby rankings, sitting on 91.62 points. Despite the large winning margin, the Springboks did not add to their total points tally in the rankings due to the significant difference in positions between the two nations, with Argentina being ranked sixth globally.

The highlight of the match for the Springboks was undoubtedly the record-breaking individual performance of flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu. The 23-year-old was scintillating, stupendous, and superb, scoring an incredible 37 points. His haul included three tries, eight conversions, and two penalties, smashing the 18-year-old record set by former Springbok fullback Percy Montgomery, who scored 35 points against Namibia in 2007. Feinberg-Mngomezulu became only the sixth Springbok in history to score 30 or more points in a Test match, displaying exceptional skill, execution, and confidence, and also providing a try assist through a perfectly measured cross-kick for Kolbe.

Another standout player was Pieter-Steph Du Toit, who earned an 8.5/10 rating. Back to his old self, the powerful and elusive flanker made metres at will, beating defenders and exploding into contact. He also contributed significantly on defense with big hits, rounding off a top-class display that included scoring two tries, taking his career tally to 14 for the Springboks. While some players like Thomas du Toit, Eben Etzebeth, and Siya Kolisi were noted as being less impactful, the overall team performance was exceptional.

In terms of the Rugby Championship log, the Springboks' bonus-point win moved them to the top of the standings with 15 log points. They are now level on points with the All Blacks but hold a superior points differential (+55 compared to New Zealand's -6). Australia sits in third place with 11 points, while Argentina is fourth with nine points. This result also marked the Springboks as the first team to claim back-to-back wins in this year's championship.

Looking ahead, the Springboks are set to face Argentina once more next Saturday in London. A bonus-point win in this final match at Allianz Stadium in Twickenham would ensure Rassie Erasmus’s team retains their Rugby Championship title. The thrilling Test at Kings Park in Durban, attended by 45,158 fans, will be remembered for Feinberg-Mngomezulu's historic performance and the Springboks' continued dominance.

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