On Monday it was confirmed that Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu will start his fourth Test in a row against the All Blacks, with the Springboks hoping to clinch the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry trophy this Saturday.
In the absence of injured Handre Pollard, Feinberg-Mngomezulu has continued to retain the No 10 jersey despite some inconsistent performances so far this season.
It has led some to question why Manie Libok hasn’t been given a chance to start, especially considering he was outstanding when he came on during the early stages of this past weekend’s Test at FNB Stadium.
Libbok has been sensational on attack and with his distribution, while it’s clear that he has also done a lot of good work on his defence.
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus feels the correct balance must be found
After making his team announcement on Monday, Erasmus explained that Pollard would soon be ready for selection once again, and also touched on the balancing act between Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Libbok.
“The game is different in the last 30 minutes when everybody is a bit more tired … forwards are a bit more heavy-footed and struggle to fill the gaps,” the Springbok coach stated.
“Apart from the skill that Sacha has, he’s a really good defender, and normally one of the big things that the All Blacks do is attack.
“Manie definitely did really well for us (last weekend). We feel he can come on after five minutes if Sacha gets injured, and we know he can handle the pressure, but we might need him later in the game like we did last weekend.”
This Saturday’s Test will kick off at 23:00 (SA time).
HOW THE TEAM WILL LINE UP
SPRINGBOKS – 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Ethan Hooker, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Morné van den Berg, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 Ruan Nortjé, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nché.
Subs: 16 Deon Fourie, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Thomas du Toit, 19 Lood de Jager, 20 André Esterhuizen, 21 Cameron Hanekom, 22 Cobus Reinach, 23 Manie Libbok.
Springbok record against New Zealand:
Played: 113, Won: 45, Lost: 64, Drawn: 4. Points for: 1 928; Points against: 2 352; Tries scored: 188; Tries conceded: 261. Win %: 39,8%.
