Could we see Manie Libbok and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu line up in the same backline at Twickenham this weekend when the Springboks take on Argentina in their final Castle Lager Rugby Championship match?
The Boks are in pole position, and a victory will ensure they defend their Rugby Championship title, but the Durban tsunami that hit Los Pumas this past weekend came at a cost.
Coach Rassie Erasmus is well-known for making sweeping changes even if the Boks do win and it seems this weekend won’t be any different. The Bok coach already hinted before the game that Manie Libbok may get a start in London, but some of the injury complications may have made that a bit more challenging.
SACHA’S GOLDEN PERFORMANCE
That hint was probably made a lot more difficult given the exceptional performance of Feinberg-Mngomezulu, who broke the Springbok all-time record of points in a game with his 37-point haul this past weekend. Few coaches would bench or drop a player who has produced such a season-defining performance.
Still, the needs of the team always supersede the individual, and whatever plans that Erasmus does have up his sleeve will be revealed on Tuesday when the side make their team announcement for the Twickenham game.
After the Boks scored eight tries in Durban, the idea of testing the combination at a packed Twickenham in rainy weather is an interesting one, but they may be left with no choice given the injury situation.
Damian Willemse’s hamstring injury may well keep him out of Twickenham, while Cheslin Kolbe also injured his shoulder. Ethan Hooker, according to Erasmus, has an ankle niggle. While the camp has not been forthcoming about how serious these injuries are, there is a genuine chance that all three may not be available.
FEW CHOICES AT 15
That would leave Erasmus with a few choices - notably whether to move Feinberg-Mngomezulu to fullback and bring in Libbok at flyhalf. The Boks could then put Handre Pollard on the bench to cover 10 and 12 as well.
The two wingers may not be as simple to replace if they don’t recover. Makazole Mapimpi is with the team and can come in, while Grant Williams can cover wing if needed. Jesse Kriel has played wing before, while Canan Moodie is a natural on the wing as well.
The Boks haven’t, by all accounts, taken Willie le Roux with them, so the logic says that if Willemse is ruled out, then Feinberg-Mngomezulu is likely to play 15 - while Libbok has also played 15 at franchise level before.
There is a chance all three could be ready for the game, but the Boks have a rule that if a player can’t train on a Monday, then they are ineligible for selection. So we will have to wait for Tuesday’s announcement to be sure.
OTHER NIGGLES
There are a few other niggles also affecting the squad. The Boks called up Lood de Jager as cover for Franco Mostert after the latter stayed in South Africa due to a family bereavement. Thomas du Toit has an ankle niggle, but the Boks didn’t call up any player as cover, so the logic is that they have enough confidence that they will be covered for the game with Wilco Louw and Vincent Koch both in the squad.
Ox Nche withdrew from the Bok team on Friday, also with a niggle and was noticeably training on his own at the captain’s practice. It waits to be seen if the Boks are confident he can play, otherwise Jan-Hendrik Wessels or Boan Venter - the latter who played in Nche’s place this past weekend - are likely candidates.
Either way, Erasmus will draw the cover from the group of 30 that left for London on Sunday night. That will make the team announcement a keenly watched affair on Wednesday.