Manie Libbok under fire after costly penalty miss
Manie Libbok inevitably came in for criticism after missing a regulation penalty that would have seen the Springboks defeat Argentina.
As the Springboks digest their shock defeat to Argentina, there will be numerous regrets about missed opportunities, and of course the last minute penalty opportunity that was ultimately sent wide of the poles by Manie Libbok.
It’s been a challenging season for Libbok to date as he has fallen down the flyhalf pecking order, while receiving limited game-time prior to Saturday’s clash in Argentina.
He came on as a replacement for Handre Pollard early in the second half, and some of his distribution and contestable kicking was outstanding.
However, there were two mistakes that proved to be extremely costly, and which saw him inevitably come in for criticism online.
At one stage midway through the second half the Springboks had gained some control in proceedings and held a two point lead. After winning a scrum penalty, Libbok had the opportunity to kick the ball to the corner and allow the Springboks to set up an attacking lineout that could well have led to a pressure-relieving try.
Unfortunately, Libbok tried to get the ball too close to the 5m line and ultimately kicked the ball into the in-goal area. It turned out to be just the reprieve that Argentina needed as they managed to stay within touching distance of the Springboks.
The Pumas would be the next to score as they knocked over a penalty with just over 10 minutes remaining in the game, but the Springboks could of – and should of – converted a match-winning penalty late in the game.
Unfortunately goal-kicking has been the one area of Libbok’s game that remains highly inconsistent, and despite lining up a penalty that was just to the side of the poles, he ultimately hooked what would have almost certainly been the match-winning kick.
Libbok inevitably bore the brunt of anger from Springbok fans online, but coach Rassie Erasmus refused to play the blame game.
“Not just for us to win the game, but for him personally, I was really hoping that he kicked that kick,” Erasmus said. “He has been kicking well this whole week and kicked so well in the warm-up. He slotted everything, but that’s pressure.
“I don’t think the game should have come down to the wire, with one man kicking it over. There were lots of opportunities where we lost the ball in lineouts, giving away penalties in their 22.
“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.”
You can see some of the reaction to the missed kick from Manie Libbok below:
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