How a Welsh school helped make a Springbok superstar

In the rolling west Wales countryside is a college that has made a tradition of developing not just talented rugby players - but global stars.

George North and Alun Wyn Jones are just two of the famous alumni of Llandovery College in Carmarthenshire.

But their latest star former pupil is making a name for himself on the world stage in the green and gold of South Africa.

Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu will wear the Springboks number 10 jersey against Wales in Cardiff on Saturday.

But it was not so long ago that the 23-year-old was lining up for the Welsh college as part of an exchange programme with his school in Cape Town.

Wales and Scarlets prop Harri O'Connor was also part of that same college team in 2018-19.

"You don't normally get an exchange student player who is such a high calibre athlete," he recalled.

"Sacha rushed himself back from a broken bone and when he did play you could tell straight away he was a class above everyone else.

"Off the pitch, he's a funny and witty guy."

Scarlets and Wales Under-20s scrum-half Archie Hughes was Feinberg-Mngomezulu's half-back partner at Llandovery and looks back on the experience as a "privilege".

"He was injured when he first joined us but when he stared playing you could tell from the first few sessions he was a rich talent and just how full of confidence he was," said Hughes.

"He had a lot of flair about him and completely backed the skillset he had to offer. It was awesome to play alongside him. I found it so easy.

"He played [then] like he does now, so energetic, absolutely everywhere on the pitch and commands boys around the park.

"One key thing that stood out was his tenacity. As well as the skillset, he would throw his body into everything and get stuck in defensively. It made him stand out amongst other number tens."

Hughes is also full of praise about the fly-half's character.

"He's a really nice guy. Humble is the word I'd use to describe him," he said.

"We lost contact after Llandovery. I suppose he has thousands of people messaging him now. But I've spoken to him from time to time and it's been nice when we've crossed paths on the pitch."

Feinberg-Mngomezulu's grandfather, Barry Feinberg, was a poet and a leading figure in the South African Communist Party and the African National Congress (ANC).

Due to the fragile political climate in South Africa and his involvement in the anti-apartheid movement, Feinberg spent years in exile in England where he had a son Nick - Feinberg-Mngomezulu's father.

In 2022, England head coach Eddie Jones reportedly tried to persuade the youngster to play for the Red Rose but Feinberg-Mngomezulu was only interested in representing the country of his birth.

Two years later he made his Test debut - perhaps fittingly - against Wales in Cardiff and has swiftly become a regular in the Springboks team.

He won the 2025 Rugby Championship, which included a staggering 37-point haul from the fly-half in South Africa's 67-30 win over Argentina in Durban - a national record for a player in a single game.

O'Connor added: "He's only going to get better and better, especially with that Springbok pack in front of him - which is a pretty scary thought."