Cape Town — “I think Sacha is staying put.”
So says Stormers head coach John Dobson when asked about young sensation Sacha Mngomezulu and the reports of him being lured to England by Eddie Jones holds any water.
The Junior Springbok captain is rumoured to have caught the eye of the England coach. The 20-year-old Mngomezulu qualifies to play for England through his South African-born English father.
Speaking during the team announcement press conference on Thursday, Dobson said: “As far as I know he has got a British passport, but he is under contract with Western Province until 2025. I can’t see that as being a realistic thing for him.
“I think Dawie (Snyman, Stormers attack coach) had a chat with him about the rumour, but nah, I think Sacha is staying put.”
With Warrick Gelant, who was instrumental in the defending United Rugby Champions’ success last season, having left for Racing 92 and Bok stalwart Steven Kitshoff also appearing to be on his way to Ulster, the Stormers mentor — on a more general note — spoke about how the poaching from overseas clubs affects their group.
“I must say, it’s pretty exhausting. The mindset of some of these clubs that South Africans or Fijians or New Zealanders are just fair game to have conversations with… if there is a good young player at let’s say Bath, we don’t say ‘jeepers, let me start chatting to him’.
“We try and look after our own and it’s like we’re always on the backfoot, especially when we’re doing well.
“We focus on developing our players, but once we do that succesfully, we have to deal with approaches from elsewhere. It is tiring, to be honest with you. Every week there is a new player that somebody wants to chat to from overseas, whether they are in ck tract or out of contract, whether it’s inside or outside the window.”
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