Bongi bats for Boks’ Manie after crucial miss in last week’s Test

Springboks Ben-Jason Dixon, Johan Grobbelaar and Canan Moodie are returning to their franchises after completing their main training block with the national team on Wednesday.

They were not included in the Springbok team for the Rugby Championship decider against Argentina at Mbombela Stadium and SA Rugby has announced the players' availability for their franchises.

With sufficient cover in the squad should injuries arise, coach Rassie Erasmus was comfortable to release Grobbelaar and Moodie to the Bulls and Dixon to the Stormers for their United Rugby Championship (URC) season openers against Edinburgh and Ospreys respectively.

“It would have been great for the players to remain with us and attend Saturday’s game in Nelspruit after their contributions to our Rugby Championship campaign and it would have been special for them if we tick the necessary boxes to win the tournament, but it’s important to do our bit to assist the domestic franchises in their URC campaigns,” Erasmus said.

The Bulls face Edinburgh at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Saturday, while Dixon will link up with the Stormers in Wales, where they will line up against Ospreys in Bridgend.

“They have big games lined up and every point in the competition counts, so we have no doubt the players will add immense value to their teams,” Erasmus said.

The Springboks, who hold a five-point lead at the top of the standings, are on the cusp of winning the Rugby Championship for the first time since 2019. They need one log point to secure the title but they will also clinch it if they can deny Argentina a winning bonus point.

They will feel the pressure of an expectant crowd after last weekend's defeat against Argentina in Santiago del Estero. Their defence left a lot to be desired in the first half. Despite a dominant scrum they failed to apply the finishing touches in attack while the line-out continues to lack authority and conviction.

The biggest talking point since their 29-28 loss, however, was the goal kicking of Manie Libbok, who missed a relatively simple attempt in the 79th minute that would almost surely have handed the Boks victory.

Social media condemnation of Libbok's miss was swift but the flyhalf found a timely ally in hooker Bongi Mbonambi who has also had the court of public opinion presiding over his fitness for the Bok jersey.

“I’m talking from experience when in 2016 we lost to Italy and I threw the last line-out in and we lost it,” the hooker said.

“I got my name dragged through the mud and all that. It comes with playing for the Springboks and playing at the highest level. You make a mistake and it costs you a Test match.

“For Manie, who’s been through a lot, also in his life outside rugby, this is just another challenge for him to prove himself, first to himself and then to everyone else, that he is a flyhalf of international standard, especially in the Springbok jersey.

“So it’s going to be a tough game but we are looking forward to it. We’ll prepare as best we can but stay in our reality and we’ll make sure we fix our mistakes.”