By Lucky Vince Pienaar
Rassie Erasmus is right when he says that Manie Libbok is not solely to blame for the Springboks’ loss against Argentina, and he is correct.
The Springboks should not have been in a situation where the entire match came down to the last kick.
It is important to remember that losing one match in a series is not a disaster, and it is very unlikely that South Africa will fail to win the Rugby Championship.
But the question still needs to be asked: why did the Boks lose?
Manie is a hero, a legend in his hometown, a symbol of hope, and he deserves it. What Rassie and Siya have done for South Africa, Manie has done for Humansdorp in the Eastern Cape.
But Rassie has once again put undue pressure on Manie. If the coach wants him in the team that badly, fine. Libbok is a good player but should not be given kicking duties. There must be a different player on the team and on the field who can do that job.
Not only was missing that final, match-winning kick unforgivable, but perhaps even worse was kicking the ball out behind the try line when Libbok went for a touch kick. It would have set up a lineout that Argentina would have struggled to defend against.
You can teach a player to kick, but BMT, that rare thing known as big match temperament, cannot be taught.
Handré Pollard is probably still the best clutch-kicker in the world. Currie Cup players like Sanele Nohamba, Siya Masuka, and the Hendrikse brothers kicked successfully despite tough conditions at Emirates Ellis Park. We have the kickers; they just need to be on the field.
An animated Siya Kolisi on the touchline tried to give the Boks the main ingredient they lacked on the field.
Even the world’s best players, like Eben Etzebeth and Malcolm Marx, still need a leader.
Salmaan Moerat is never going to be a Springbok captain. Sadly, he is also not an international-standard lock. As magnificent as the Springbok front row was, they needed a strong second row to back them up.
Nice try, Rassie, but Moerat is not the guy—neither as a player nor as captain.
Nobody disagrees that building two teams to go to the World Cup is a sensible objective, but there is no room for ‘B’ team players.
Sorry, Rassie, you blew this one. You should take the punch.
Pictured above: Manie Libbok.
Source: Springboks/X
