While Manie Libbok has rightly come under scrutiny for his goalkicking during the Springboks’ loss to Ireland last Saturday in Paris during their Pool B clash at Stade de France, the reality is that the Boks do not have a silver bullet when it comes to solving the goal-kicking struggles they currently face.
Libbok has been unfairly singled out for his kicking when the Boks were found wanting in other areas as well. And while any international 10 would be expected to slot regulation kicks like he had on Saturday, and can’t escape criticism from this, Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber is correct when he says this wasn’t the only reason the Boks lost against Ireland.
Libbok missed two kicks at goal, as did Faf de Klerk. While the latter has not come under scrutiny from fans, mainly because his kicks were 50 metres out, the question that needs to be asked is why the Boks even attempted the long-range strikes when the Irish lineout was in shambles and their pack was dominating proceedings at that stage?
Instead the calls have swelled for Pollard to start and this has prompted SA Rugby’s Director of Rugby Rassie Erasmus to try and temper the expectations.
Handre Pollard is a superb rugby player and in form is one of the world’s best. But he has not played international rugby for more than a year, and has had 31 minutes of action in the last three months - which included receiving a yellow card.
In reality Pollard may be the fans choice, but few will remember that he hasn’t always been the goalkicking ace they believe him to be.
POLLARD AVERAGES 75 PERCENT
Pollard averages at 75 per cent accuracy in goalkicking in test rugby - which is below the standard of 80 per cent that is often talked about. It wasn’t so long ago that fans were bemoaning his goalkicking as well and it underlines the fact that he may not be the silver bullet that Bok fans are hoping for.
In fact, in 2019, Pollard was kicking in the mid 60 per cent range in the World Cup and only came right at the end of the tournament. The Boks dominance up front and their affinity to score tries helped them to the extent that it wasn’t the issue of angst as it is now.
Libbok also has many redeeming factors. His ability to move his backline, the little touches he puts in to allow his wingers to score tries - whether the long pass that saw Cheslin Kolbe go in at the weekend or the no-look kick-pass for Kurt-Lee Arendse against Scotland - there is no doubting his ability as an attacking player.
Right now goal-kicking has been his achilles heel, and being the only flyhalf in the squad hasn’t helped either. Damian Willemse is listed as back-up, but also tends to drop his head if he starts off badly.
WILLEMSE REVELLING IN FULLBACK ROLE
In fact, Willemse has only revelled in the fact that he doesn’t have pressure on himself to kick now and has grown into playing a starring role at the back and is virtually the Boks first choice 15 at the moment. Whether he can take the role or not, it is also clear the Boks want him to play this way and don’t want to burden him with the kicking role.
The issue of goal-kicking has become such a mountain that Erasmus decided he needed to step in and not only defend his players, but also put a few things into perspective.
"You have to see things in perspective. Handre Pollard is not Superman. Four weeks ago he was totally not ready to play rugby. He hasn’t even run full pace four or five weeks ago. He has only played 40 minutes of rugby. He can’t just come on the field and do goal-kicking; he must tackle, pass, do kick-offs, sidestep, do hand-offs, clean out at the rucks. People think we didn’t pick Handre Pollard because we didn’t want to. That’s not the case. Handre was injured. He has only had 40 minutes of rugby and a week of training with us last week. This week will now be full-on contact where he doesn’t sit out a session. That’s why I said he wasn’t up for selection last week. But we were always going to rotate the squad for the Tonga match so he’s definitely up for selection for this match,” Erasmus explains.
Erasmus went on to explain that Libbok’s struggles with goal-kicking has not been lost on the Bok management.
"If you weigh up the different things Manie does… it is like Deon Fourie’s lineout throwing. I think he got four lineouts and one not straight, but the scrums went really well. Manie is obviously in a bit of a dip with his goal-kicking. He knows it, we know it, the world knows it, everybody keeps on talking about it. When Faf [de Klerk] took one kick from 55 metres, he hit the upright and we almost scored from it. Faf is a really good goal-kicker but he is not always going to be on the field.
"Handre is playing this weekend, but let’s see first of all how Handre does the other stuff in the game. Does he get through it on the contact side of things? I am sure he’ll also take some time to find his rhythm with his kicking under pressure. The Tonga one will be a great test for him as a yardstick to see where he is before we go - if we go – into those quarterfinals, and who will be on the field. Manie is certainly playing brilliant fly-half rugby at the moment, obviously his goal-kicking is not matching that at this stage.”
OTHER AREAS OF CONCERN
And that is the short and the long of it. The Boks have been able to play down the goalkicking precisely because a number of the other areas had functioned so well that it didn’t make a difference.
On Saturday against Ireland those areas struggled as well. The Bok management has spoken time and again this season about creating chances and not finishing them. On Saturday they lost the ball twice with the goal line in sight and could also have snatched it at the end.
Their discipline was also wanting and to beat the World No 1 side your discipline has to be good and you need to be accurate. Both of those were also lacking against Ireland.
That and missing the impact that Malcolm Marx brings at the breakdown. Libbok’s kicking - as Nienaber rightly pointed out - was one factor, but it wasn’t the only factor.
Pollard will bring something different to the discourse, but he will also need time to get up to speed and back in match form. And while any Springbok number 10 will face pressure from the public, the reality is that Pollard, just as much as Libbok now faces pressure to perform.
For the Boks the best scenario was always to have both flyhalves in form and playing well and that will continue to be their aim. As always with this coaching side, how they manage them will come down to tactics and opposition.
So in the end it is more about getting the balance right and focusing on the areas that struggled against Ireland to be rectified before the playoffs.
Goal-kicking is the most glaring and obvious one of all, but the focus cannot be on that alone. Or on any single player.