By Lucky Vince Pienaar
Rassie Erasmus can’t avoid the strategic decision much longer. He will have to decide for how long he is going to back Manie Libbok – and if he will back him until the World Cup.
Interesting that Siya Masuku is described as “too old” while Manie Libbok is younger than Masuku by one single year. They will both be about 31 when the 2027 World Cup comes around.
Nobody denies that Libbok is a great player, but he has a problem that Masuku doesn’t have. Manie has never fully conquered his inability to kick the winning points when the pressure’s on.
From the opening match in the World Cup against Scotland, until the Stormers’ match against the Glasgow Warriors when they exited the Vodacom United Rugby Championship, Libbok’s performance as a kicker has always failed when it mattered.
And when you ask questions about age, it is worth noting that Handré Pollard, the man who has always rescued Libbok, will be 34 in 2027.
Most people agree that Rassie is one of the best strategic thinkers in the game, yet he persists with Libbok.
After Curwin Bosch eventually failed one too many times at the Sharks, Masuku fought his way into the Sharks team and almost turned the team’s fortunes around, winning man of the match three times in a row.
It is said that Libbok is a great flyhalf in open play – but is known to miss kicks when it really matters. When a kick can turn a match, Pollard, the man they say has ice in his veins, steps up. His perfect kicking record at the World Cup is proof of that. But when it comes to open play, he can be a bit fragile.
Libbok plus Pollard equals one Masuku. He is good, and sometimes brilliant, in open play and he handles the pressure moments. He ticks all the boxes but he doesn’t even make it into the Springbok squad for the matches against Ireland.
Unless Rassie does something breathtaking, Libbok will be in the run-on side on Saturday, with Pollard on the bench to step in when things get too bad.
But if Pollard doesn’t make it to the World Cup, who will rescue Libbok (and the Springboks) when the crunch comes?
And while the Libbok vs Masuku debate rages on, a new, and brilliant candidate has appeared on the horizon.
On the eve of Rassie announcing his 23-man squad for the first match against Ireland, 22-year-old Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu is in the spotlight. He can play wing, fullback and centre, and yes, he can also play flyhalf.
Who knows? By the time the World Cup comes along, Mngomezulu may just be the man for the job – and maybe he and Masuku can both make it into the team.
Pictured above: Masuku and Libbok.
Source: X
