In South African rugby, the No.10 jersey is less a shirt and more a crown passed between kings who can both rule and rescue a Test match. And right now, Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has a treasury overflowing with princely options.
In the flyhalf vault: Manie Libbok, the free-flowing conductor who will start against Australia at Ellis Park on Saturday; Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, the youthful prodigy still sharpening his sword; and Handré Pollard, the double World Cup-winning statesman whose composure could calm a hurricane. Then, lurking in the wings, is Damian Willemse, the Swiss Army knife of South African rugby, ready to unfold his blades from the bench.
But Erasmus is quick to pour cold water on any assumption that Libbok’s start makes him “the chosen one” in the pecking order. Instead, it’s a move calculated with the precision of a chess grandmaster, where every selection is a step toward checkmate.
Sacha and Handré will probably play in Cape Town, so we are just trying to spread the load a bit there. Not having a flyhalf on the bench, we know Damian can play flyhalf, so we feel we are well covered there.
Erasmus’ approach is pragmatic, and, in part, dictated by Libbok’s sharp form from the kicking tee.
We’ve found that in the past, the only time we swap a flyhalf is when he is having an off day or when he is missing goal kicks. Manie has been slotting them well. The new balls are making a difference; he is doing well.
Selection isn’t just about your best XV, it’s about having the right insurance in place. This week, Erasmus needed outside centre cover, and so Canan Moodie’s name went onto the team sheet ahead of Pollard and Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
We felt we needed to have a 13 cover, Damian [de Allende] usually covers there, so that’s why Canan [Moodie] is on the bench ahead of Handré and Sacha,” said Erasmus. “We don’t have a 13 cover, but we do have an outright 10 cover in Damian.
Of course, in a perfect world, there would be space for sentimental calls — like giving Lions scrumhalf Morne “Krappies” van den Berg the chance to dart around his home patch in front of an Ellis Park crowd. But sentiment is a luxury Erasmus says the Springboks can’t always afford.
It’s always nice to do that. We played Faf [de Klerk] in Nelspruit. But when we get up against better teams that are competitive. We see Australia as a good team building up to a nice World Cup in their home country. Sometimes have the luxury of playing guys at their home venue. Unfortunately, sometimes you can’t be too emotional.
The door, however, isn’t closed.
Krappies will have a chance next weekend in Cape Town, hopefully, if things go as planned. Sometimes, if you lose momentum, you have to change your plans.
Even Pollard, with his two Webb Ellis medals, has to wait.
I know Handré would’ve loved to play as well. It's not his home ground, but he knows this part of the world pretty well. Sometimes you have to decide according to what’s best for the team.
And, in typical Erasmus fashion, he signed off with praise for Van den Berg’s character:
Krappies is probably one of the most humble and serving team members that we have in the team, he understands it.
So on Saturday, Libbok will lead the Boks’ attack against the Wallabies, armed with the luxury of an ambidextrous boot, a sharpened eye for space, and the knowledge that in Rassie’s world, the jersey you wear this week is just one move in the grander game.
