Numbering his 10s is not an exercise Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus is readily drawn into. Publicly, at least, he’s not prepared to rank his foremost game drivers.
The virtues of Handre Pollard, Manie Libbok and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu are well documented, but the coach will have to show his hand in the coming weeks as the Boks do battle with the Wallabies in Johannesburg and Cape Town, and the All Blacks in Auckland and Wellington.
Their engagement with the All Blacks in Auckland is one that will command the attention of the rugby world. The Boks are seeking to inflict on the hosts their first defeat at Eden Park in 31 years.
For that, Erasmus will need to assemble his very best, and the player tasked with playing flyhalf would have to be considered front of the 10 queue.
For the moment, though, the Bok coach is keeping his cards close to his chest. “All three are above average in every single department, but each one has his different strength,” he said about Pollard, Libbok and Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
The coach said that for now, he is happy to gallop to a horses-for-courses policy. Whoever starts in Johannesburg and Cape Town won’t necessarily get the nod in Auckland. “I think it will depend on the opposition or whether we go six/two split, seven/one or five/three [forwards and backs ratio off the bench].
Sacha will work lekker
“Probably, if you go a six/two, someone like Sacha will work lekker off the bench, or Damian [Willemse]. It depends on your plan on the day. We don’t have a first choice currently,” Erasmus was keen to point out.
That said, the weight of occasion is usually a reliable indicator of a coach’s selection preferences.
Last year, Erasmus was bold by picking the inexperienced Feinberg-Mngomezulu as a starter in both away Tests against Australia, as well as the first against the All Blacks at Ellis Park. The player, however, did himself an undeclared mischief and started off the bench in the next Test in Cape Town.
If it was a running, open game — and we have a seven/one split [on the bench] — it will be that flyhalf. If you really want to grind it out, it will be another guy
— Rassie Erasmus, Springbok coach
Feinberg-Mngomezulu is a front foot operator with a go-getter approach that should generally see his team breeze out of the starter’s blocks. Equally, he’s a dexterous rabbit from the hat extractor when the shadows lengthen.
Libbok is a different beast. Across his 20 Tests, he has proved himself a more effective starter. The Boks have lost three of the seven Tests he started from the bench, most recently against Argentina in Santiago last year. His goal-kicking at crunch time came under the spotlight again after that 29-28 defeat.
Libbok as a starter, however, makes a different impact. The only defeat the Boks suffered with him as a starter across 13 matches was their pool match in Paris against Ireland at the 2023 Rugby World Cup. He has proved himself adept at igniting the Bok backline. His vision and execution are generally on the same wavelength, whether delivered by hand or foot.
Reassuring presence
With Libbok at pivot, the Boks play with more freedom than perhaps at any stage since readmission. If his modus operandi leaves Bok fans with the sense they’re at the tout, Pollard conjures images of an insurance broker’s convention.
He cuts a reassuring presence. His goal-kicking in matches of real consequence has helped layer his legend.
“If it was a semifinal or final it will be a particular flyhalf,” said Erasmus.
“If it was a running, open game — and we have a seven/one split [on the bench] — it will be that flyhalf. If you really want to grind it out, it will be another guy. We would like to think we’re keeping our options open but it also makes us a little less predictable.”
Under Erasmus, no one can accuse the Boks of being predictable. Sure, that is a tag that had long lingered with Bok rugby but the coach hasn’t just accentuated traditional strengths, he has prevailed upon his players to find different ways to, if not dismantle, heap unbearable pressure on the opposition.
For the moment, Erasmus is happy to keep the Boks’ adversaries guessing. That, perhaps as much as the unremitting power and technique they unleash in bucket loads on their opposition, has helped keep them a step ahead.
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