Why Sacha chose to play for the Springboks and NOT England

Thanks to his father's birth in the United Kingdom, Springbok Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu was given the opportunity to represent England professionally.

However, the famous connector turned down this opportunity and decided to represent his favorite club, the Stormers, and ultimately South Africa.

The 22-year-old played a key role in SA's victory over the All Blacks from New Zealand at Ellis Park (now Emirates Airline Park) on Saturday, August 31.

WHY SACHA FEINBERG-MNGOMEZULU REJECTED THE CHANCE TO REPRESENT ENGLAND

In a recent interview with Omni Sports, Nick Feinberg, the father of Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, revealed that his son had turned down the chance to play for England.

Nick – the son of the late apartheid hero Barry Feinberg – was born in Britain while the family were living in exile. The family returned to South Africa in the 1990s following democratic elections, and Sacha and his brother Nathan were born in the years that followed.

Speaking about his son's opportunities abroad, he said: “Sacha never had a desire to play for England. It's not about who he is or what he wanted. He always wanted green and gold.”

Nick revealed that young Sacha – then at famous rugby school Bishops College – was approached by talent scouts from Leicester, Saracens and North Hampton, who offered him contracts to live and play abroad.

Nick added: “Sacha is a happy Capetonian. His hope was to play for the Stormers. The ultimate goal was always to stay here.”

Sacha joined the Stormers in 2022 at the age of 20. His contract was extended until 2027.

FUTURE SPRINGBOK CAPTAIN?

In addition to the Stormers, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu played for the Junior Springboks, of which he was also captain.

In March this year he was invited to the Springboks training camp and in June he made his debut in green and gold in South Africa's friendly against Wales at Twickenham.

And many rugby fans believe Sacha has what it takes to captain the Springboks in the near future. This came amid a throwback clip from 2015 in which the young rugby player – then a student at Bishop's University – can be seen addressing his Under-13 teammates.

He said: “I want to keep it short and sweet because I want both coaches to remember this.”

Sacha then thanked his coaches and friends for their hard work and joked about his team mantra and his strict coaches.

He continued: “This is a testament to how far we have come as a team, but not just as a team, but as a unit, which is more important.

“That was my favourite rugby season as a schoolboy.”