Springbok pivot Manie Libbok is not to blame for Saturday’s 29-28 Rugby Championship loss to Argentina but will have to deal with the flack for missing a kickable match-winning penalty, says coach Rassie Erasmus.
After taking the field in the place of starting flyhalf Handré Pollard, Libbok had a shot at kicking South Africa to a fifth Rugby Championship title in the final minute of the Test in Santiago del Estero.
But he pulled his kick wide of the left-hand upright before Argentina won a breakdown penalty and kicked the ball into touch to start their wild celebrations and leave the Boks wondering what could have been after they led 17-0 inside the first 10 minutes.
Asked by the Daily Voice of the expected backlash for Libbok missing a match-winning penalty, Erasmus says: “He will get a lot of flack, we all know that.
“He will have to find a way to manage that and we will all get a lot of flack for him missing that kick.”
Pleading with fans to not make Libbok the scapegoat for the loss, Erasmus adds: “He kicked well the whole week [in training] and in the warm-up he slotted everything, but it is pressure.
“Again, I don’t think the game should have come down to the wire – with one man [needing] to kick it over.
“There were many opportunities where we lost the ball in lineouts or gave away a penalty inside their 22. It was not a great display from us… we should have done it [win] much earlier.”
The Pumas loss – South Africa’s first in this year’s tournament – is a painful one, with Erasmus saying ahead of this weekend’s second and final Rugby Championship clash against the Argies in Mbombela: “It hurts a lot. We have to point fingers at ourselves as coaches and management too…
“We have a chance to redeem ourselves [this] week and to finish on a high note.”
Highlights: Re-live the action from Santiago del Estero - watch here: https://t.co/jatkYlfdt8 🎥#Springboks #ForeverGreenForeverGold #ARGvRSA
— Springboks (@Springboks) September 22, 2024