A given Sunday made for Manie

This week’s clash Down Under presents Rassie Erasmus with the ideal opportunity to showcase the Springboks’ attacking edge with Manie Libbok at flyhalf, writes DEVIN HERMANUS.

It’s glaringly obvious the Boks play ‘Tonyball’ only with Libbok in the pocket.

In the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry opener, South Africa struggled to score tries off structure. Test two was more of the same. All three tries were created by one-off runners generating sustained pressure and momentum. There was no playing off 10.

But in the third Test, when Libbok came on, the game changed and so did the way the world champions played.

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South Africa stayed in the contest via Kurt-Lee Arendse’s try, and it was the first try in the series where it could be noticeable the Boks were actually playing expansively.

It came off a turnover. Libbok calls it out immediately and flings it wide. The ball moves quickly through the backs, Damian de Allende breaks a tackle and releases Arendse to score. 

When they tried that in the first Test, there was a lot of ball going to ground. The confidence in the backline to make those decisions simply wasn’t there.

In the third Test, the Boks had another dimension to them compared to the first two encounters. The reason for that is Libbok.

Look at last year’s record win against the All Blacks in Wellington, and the Les Bleus bashing at Stade de France in November. South Africa were down by one point when the 2023 World Cup winner was introduced and suddenly conjured up three tries.

Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, an elite playmaker but not a game manager at this stage of his career, plays much better when Libbok is on the field. Feinberg-Mngomezulu can roam and come inside where he sees fit.

That’s what Libbok provided in the third Test.

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On Sunday, Erasmus can give some fringe players and those in need of game time a chance against the Wallabies.

Libbok and Handré Pollard didn’t start in the Greatest Rivalry, the latter sidelined since the second Test after being named in the run-on XV while the former featured off the bench in all four Tests.

With De Allende rested, it also creates a gap for Erasmus to deploy Pollard at inside centre alongside Libbok.

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If the Boks want to open things up, Libbok is the best option. He loves to call for the ball, demands width in attack and his long passes and cross-kicks are a thing of beauty. 

In the 2025 Rugby Championship opener versus Australia at Ellis Park, Libbok was instrumental as the Boks raced to a 22-0 lead, but an intercept pass he threw led to a Wallabies try that helped turn the game.

His kicking off both feet, work rate and how he creates opportunities for those around him is unquestioned, and playing in Japan has made the ex-Stormers linchpin more assured.

The one-off Test at Perth’s Optus Stadium is made for Libbok to call the shots.

Photo: Floris van Schouwenburg/Gallo Images