The only way to overcome disappointment is to get onto the horse and ride it until it flattens out.
This, in a nutshell, was Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus’ reasoning for backing Manie Libbok to start the Castle Lager Rugby Championship finale against Argentina in Nelspruit on Saturday despite widespread criticism of the Boks' loss last Saturday.
Libbok missed a relatively easy penalty in the 79th minute of the test match between the two sides in Santiago del Estero which would have given his side victory, prompting a barrage of fan criticism of the No. 10 ahead of a game the Boks need to win to clinch the championship.
But it is clear that Erasmus isn’t one to be swayed by fan criticism, and as he has done in the past, he backed the players he has and doubled down, selecting Libbok to start this week (he was on the bench in Santiago) and to go out and prove his critics wrong.
Erasmus was clear that he wouldn’t entertain thoughts of dumping the flyhalf, whose goalkicking has become a problem in big games dating back to last year’s Rugby World Cup.
“In the team, we had a little laugh at some of the memes that have been going around,” Erasmus said. “We see it as people who haven't gone through that, haven’t felt that kind of pressure and don’t know how tough it is. We totally understand that people will criticise him and he takes it on the chin.
“We all, as the management and the coaching staff, take it on the chin. But the only way to get a guy like him through this is to get back on the horse and ride it until it is flat again. We have made some plans on the way 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.”
Erasmus said he understood the anger around the loss, and how fans were disappointed in the team for not wrapping up the Rugby Championship with a week to go. In the process, the loss meant the Boks also lost their No. 1 spot in the world rankings.
“We totally understand that. When we play well, we take the credit and we smile and we're happy and the guys love the positivity and our people praise them, we take that. So when we're not playing well and when we're not doing things as well, they surely have the right to criticise, especially if we did not put in all the effort in a specific game, which I did not think was last week's case. I really thought Argentina played well.
“But then when it comes to individual things, if you take that game, Argentina missed three kicks at goal and we missed two at goal. So I think we missed four try-scoring opportunities, which is much worse than missing a kick like that. But Manie, he's a professional, we're professionals, we're all around him.
“And he's starting again this weekend, getting another chance ahead of Handre. I think there's 18 World Cup-winning Springboks part of the match-day 23.”
Erasmus said that it was the job of the coaching team to ensure that Libbok regained his confidence to perform as they know he can.
"Yes, I understand that Manie gets a lot of criticism. He understands that. All of us, coaches, players, hookers, referees, all of us have gone through a lot when you make a mistake.
“People think it's all your fault. We are a bit more tense, because we think there were two tries we missed before Manie's shot, which were easier than Manie's shot.
“Manie is not chosen just because of the shot. That's why we made plans around it, which will hopefully work on Saturday. And the way he plays, the way we think the Argentinians can play - the level that they are trying to play out. We understand 100 per cent how people feel and it's our job to get it right, to help, and we're doing it.
“I have to say, Manie never really lost a cup for us. You know, we didn't lose the World Cup because of Manie. We didn’t lose the Freedom Cup because of Manie. We work around it and make sure it doesn’t become a crisis. What he brought to us is a natural game. And... Look what he did to Scotland in the World Cup. It was a tight game and then he did this no-look kick to the winner to help us win.”
If the Boks win the match on Saturday they will be crowned Rugby Championship winners. The only scenario where they won't win the trophy is if Argentina beat them with a bonus point and deny the Boks a bonus point of their own.