SANTIAGO DEL ESTERO, ARGENTINA - SEPTEMBER 21: Manie Libbok of South Africa reacts during the the Rugby Championship 2024 match between Argentina Pumas and South Africa Springboks at Estadio Unico Madre de Ciudades on September 21, 2024 in Santiago del Estero, Argentina. (Photo by Rodrigo Valle/Getty Images)
The social media warriors who chastised Manie Libbok after the Springbok’s recent narrow defeat by Argentina must be awfully quiet after his performance this weekend, when South Africa put the team to the sword with a 48-7 win.
Yes, Libbok missed a match-winning penalty, and he botched a kick for touch in the game at Santiago del Estero that finished 29-28, but he most certainly did not deserve the hate that was directed his way on social media.
Libbok silenced his critics in the best way possible this past weekend at a buzzing Mbombela stadium in Nelspruit. He produced one of the performances of the season at flyhalf.
Coach Rassie Erasmus relieved Libbok of his kicking duties, allowing him to do what he does best — produce excellent attacking rugby and cause havoc for the Pumas.
His ability to kick with both feet, deliver an eye-catching no-look kick pass and his overall running with ball in hand was a joy to watch.
Libbok played like a man with a point to prove. His ability to deliver up and unders with both feet had the Pumas scrambling to gather the ball while the Bok backline put them under immense pressure.
The no-look kick to Cheslin Kolbe and the final pass to Aphelele Fassi before he scored a try perfectly embody what Libbok is all about.
Social media trolls will surely have had nothing to say. Blaming him for the loss the week before is nothing short of absurd. The Springboks were 17-0 up before Argentina clawed their way back into the game. The game should have been put to bed by those on the field before Libbok stepped onto it.
There was no hate for the missed tackles or botched lineouts in that match — the furore all seemed to be directed at the hapless Libbok. His performance in Nelspruit is testimony to how valuable he is to the success of the Boks as they endeavour to play a more attacking game.
In the game in Argentina, it was evident Handré Pollard was tiring, having done a lot of running before Libbok was introduced. He is no spring chicken but his big-match temperament and ability to slot it through the poles is unlike anyone in South Africa. One cannot deny his value.
Pollard has played a crucial role in the last two Rugby World Cups, kicking the Boks to glory under immense pressure in many games.
He is by no means a slouch when it comes to overall play either. But Libbok has that something special, the X factor, if you must.
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu is another special talent but a knee injury might see him miss the upcoming games in Europe. This means Libbok and Pollard will probably be the chosen flyhalfs.
With Erasmus highlighting the need for a more conservative approach, we’ll have to wait and see what he does with who gets selected in this crucial role. He might do what he did in Nelspruit — Libbok to start, with Pollard coming on in the second half to kick the Boks to glory.
If anyone can get these two players working in a way that ensures success for the Boks, without compromising on quality, it’s Erasmus.
He has a knack for putting the team and country ahead of individuals so that no player feels disheartened. Sure, there’ll be disappointment at being dropped, as was the case for Libbok in the latter parts of the recent World Cup, but the players understand the whole is more important.
Libbok’s performance this weekend is yet another feather in the cap of Erasmus who, instead of isolating him when fans and pundits were calling for his head, got him back doing what he does best — playing rugby without the pressure of kicking.
That duty fell to Jaden Hendrikse, who handled it admirably.
Both Erasmus and captain Siya Kolisi backed Libbok, with Kolisi referring to him as his “general” in the post-match interviews.
Erasmus was delighted with the standing ovation Libbok got from fans when he was taken off for Pollard.
If anything, this is a great reminder for keyboard warriors blasting Libbok. Rugby is a team sport — had the Boks been more clinical in Argentina, Libbok’s kicking would have not mattered as much. Laying the blame solely on one player in a team sport is ludicrous.
Yes, kicking penalties in clutch moments is an individual thing but he should not have been in that position in the first place. Dropping a 17-point lead should be questioned.
But as teammate Bongi Mbonambi said, the criticism is part and parcel of the game, having been on the receiving end of it in 2016 after a loss to Italy.
He backed Libbok to come good and silence his doubters. And that is just what Libbok did — in the most satisfying, critic-silencing way.