Jaden Hendrikse has voiced his support for Springbok teammate Manie Libbok after the flyhalf missed a last minute penalty in Saturday’s one-point loss to Argentina.
Trailing 29-28 at the buzzer, Libbok had a chance to win the game and clinch the Rugby Championship title for the Springboks, but sent his kick wide, handing Argentina the win.
Since then, the Stormers flyhalf has come under criticism from some quarters.
After Bok coach Rassie Erasmus said Libbok was not to blame, Hendrikse also jumped in his corner ahead of this weekend’s Rugby Championship decider against the Pumas in Mbombela.
“I’ve come a long way with Manie, and just like the rest of the team, we back him 100%,” Hendrikse was quoted by SA Rugby Magazine on Monday. .
“We just had our match review and coach Tony (Brown) showed us how many opportunities we had that we did not convert into points, so the game should not have come down to one kick.”
This was the view echoed by Erasmus after Saturday’s game, who felt the Boks did not take their opportunities.
“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 am 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,” said Erasmus.
The Springboks will win their first Rugby Championship title if they pick up just a point from Saturday’s game in Mbombela. For Argentina to win the title, they will need to win with a bonus point, while also preventing the Springboks from picking up a point.
IOL Sport