Coach Rassie Erasmus has hinted the world champions have a specific plan regarding their goal-kicking this weekend.
Are the Springboks going to ask someone else in the team, other than Manie Libbok, to take the kicks at goal in their Rugby Championship title decider against Argentina in Mbombela this Saturday (5pm)?
That is the big question ahead of the match and following some comments by coach Rassie Erasmus when he named his matchday-23 on Tuesday, which included Libbok at flyhalf.
The No 10 missed a late penalty kick in Santiago last Saturday, which played a part in the world champions going down 28-29 to the Pumas – their first defeat of the competition this year.
Libbok had come off the bench as a replacement for Handre Pollard.
It was not the first time in his international career that Libbok had missed a fairly easy kick at goal.
Libbok, Hendrikse or Kolbe?
But while the classy flyhalf has been elevated to the starting team from the bench this week, it remains to be seen whether he will handle the kicking duties.
While announcing his team for this weekend’s match Erasmus said: “Manie’s general play is fantastic, and he brings a lot of energy and play-making abilities to the backline. He dictates play well, so we back Manie fully to do the job for us at flyhalf.
“It’s not just up to him to find solutions for his goal kicking, it is something we have to do as a team, and we are working on a plan.”
The Bok coach later added: “We have made some plans on how we want to play and Manie’s role at 10 this week, and we have made some plans around goalkicking which will help people out.
“Manie is not chosen just because of the shot. That’s why we make plans around it, which will hopefully work on Saturday.”
Visuals of the Boks’ training session in Mbombela on Tuesday showed two other Bok stars, namely Cheslin Kolbe and Jaden Hendrikse, having shots at goal. Winger Kolbe, who is also comfortable at fullback, has kicked at goal for the Boks before.
Does this suggest one of them will be the team’s first choice kicker on Saturday, or will all three men, the other being Libbok, take turns kicking, depending on where the penalty is on the field?
Pollard, who’ll play off the bench on Saturday, has been the Boks’ most consistent goal-kicker in recent times, with him slotting 13 kicks out of 13 attempts in four matches during last year’s World Cup in France, after joining the team late following an injury.
