Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has refused to blame Manie Libbok’s missed penalty in the 79th minute for his team’s 29-28 Rugby Championship defeat to Argentina – but there was inference that the flyhalf has blotted his copybook.
The Boks had worked hard to salvage the game and won a penalty that top-level goal-kickers should nail with their eyes closed.
But Libbok – who has an unfortunate history of kicking failure at crucial times for the Stormers and Boks – hooked his kick across the uprights to gift Los Pumas a rare victory over the Boks.
Erasmus said: “I was hoping that Manie would kick that kick. Not just for us to win the game, but for him personally.
“He had been kicking well this week, and kicked so well in the warm-up. He slotted everything, but that’s pressure …”
Many pundits have questioned why Erasmus did not keep on Handré Pollard – by moving him to inside centre – so there would be a cool kicker on the field to seal the deal.
But Erasmus wants to learn about his players, and Libbok was on trial to see if his kicking issues have been solved.
They haven’t, and there is a wonder now if he will drift out of the Springbok picture ahead of Saturday’s title decider at the Mbombela Stadium (5pm kick-off).
However, Erasmus was diplomatic in commenting on the 27-year-old playmaker.
“I don’t think the game should have come down to the wire, with one man kicking it over. There were lots of opportunities where we lost the ball in line-outs and gave away penalties in their 22,” the Bok coach said.
“It was not a great display by us. Manie is going to get a lot of flak, we all know that. He must find a way to manage that.
“I’m sure we will all get a lot of flak for him missing that kick. But it shouldn’t have been on the last kick for us to win. We should have done it much earlier.”
A significant turning point in the game was an unlucky yellow card given to Kurt-Lee Arendse for a high tackle.
While the wing was off the field, the Pumas cashed in with tries to get them back into the game after the Boks had led 17-0 after 15 minutes.
“We did start well. I am always nervous when we start so well. We tend to be a team that counter-attacks from behind. We should have put them away after that start,” Erasmus admitted.
“Unfortunately, we got the yellow card and Argentina exploited it. They got outside our defence well. They scored two tries while Kurt-Lee was off. So, I think that was the momentum shift.
Kurt-Lee Arendse sent to the bin 🟨
The Springboks will have to make do with 14 men for the next 10 minutes.
📺 Stream #TRC2024 live: https://t.co/0P0NNho4A4 pic.twitter.com/4fw7XSoIVZ
“There are no excuses for the second half. We were 15 men. It was a closely-battled game. We never saw ourselves as the favourites, because we left a few guys at home.
“We wanted a few guys to experience playing in Argentina, but we desperately wanted to win.
“Argentina played better than us. It’s nice pressure on us again now. There’s a lot that we didn’t achieve today.”
Erasmus left seven first-choice players in South Africa to rest ahead of this weekend’s Rugby Championship finale in Mbombela.
Bongi Mbonambi, Frans Malherbe, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Damian de Allende, Cheslin Kolbe and Willie le Roux did not travel to Argentina.
“The guys who were rested will definitely come into the mix,” Erasmus said. “We knew we were taking a bit of a gamble by leaving them at home.
“I don’t want to say it is a case of lessons learned, because that is an old cliché, but for some of the younger guys to experience Argentina’s supporters and the way Argentina loosens up a game, now they know how it feels. Six guys had not played here before.”
The defeat means this week’s game at a sold-out Mbombela Stadium is a Championship final.
Time to shift the focus, a massive Test awaits in Mpumalanga next weekend 👀#Springboks #ForeverGreenForeverGold #ARGvRSA pic.twitter.com/RQkpChhH5w
— Springboks (@Springboks) September 21, 2024
“That’s a positive spin on it,” Erasmus said. “We will have to first get over tonight. It hurts a lot, and I’m sure the South African people feel the same.
“We have to point fingers at ourselves. I’m not just talking about players, but the coaches as well.
“Next week, we will try and win the Rugby Championship, but it doesn’t make tonight easier.”
Points-Scorers
Springboks 28 – Tries: Aphelele Fassi, Jesse Kriel, Cobus Reinach. Conversions: Handré Pollard (2). Penalties: Pollard (2), Manie Libbok (1).
Argentina 29 – Tries: Mateo Carreras, Pablo Matera, Joel Sclavi, Tomas Albornoz. Conversions: Albornoz (3). Penalties: Albornoz (1).