A couple of strong showings off the bench from Morné van den Berg has seen him rewarded with a start in the fourth RGR Test against the All Blacks.
Springbok utility back Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and replacement flyhalf Manie Libbok in action against the All Blacks in the third Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Test at the FNB Stadium in Soweto on Saturday evening. Picture: Floris van Schouwenburg/Gallo Images
Springbok scrumhalf Morné van den Berg is set for the biggest opportunity of his fledgling international career when he starts in the final Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Test against the All Blacks at the M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on Saturday.
Krappie, as he is affectionately known, has been a regular feature in the Springbok squad over the past two seasons, with this his third year travelling extensively with the national team.
But since making his debut against Portugal in July 2024, he has only gone on to play nine Tests for the Boks, four of them starting, while the other five have all been bench appearances.
Bok starts
His biggest start to date was arguably against a struggling Wallabies team Down Under back in 2024, while he has started twice against Italy and once against Wales.
The All Blacks is undoubtedly the biggest team he has played against and after two impressive performances off the bench in the last two Tests, he now gets a well-deserved shot to show what he can do as a starter against the second best team in the world.
“Krappie has been with us for a while now. He is not a young player breaking through, he is 28. We have been tracking him for a long time and he has been unlucky with injuries, and having a number of good nines getting opportunities and playing ahead of him,” said Bok coach Rassie Erasmus at Monday’s team announcement.
“Now with Grant (Williams) being injured (in the first Test), Krappie has gotten his chance. Whenever he is inside the camp he contributes positively, even if he isn’t playing. He is always contributing.
“After his last injury (for the Lions towards the end of the URC season), we thought it was going to be a tough year for him to get back into the mix. But he did his rehab well, he is back to full fitness, and the last two weeks when he got his opportunity, he did really well and we think he deserves a start.”
Manie Libbok
A player who is unlucky to not get a start after some strong performances off the bench is flyhalf Manie Libbok, who has been thrust into the action early in the last two Tests because of injuries, and has played well, but retains his place on the replacements’ bench.
“We could have also played Handré (Pollard) as well, he is ready (fit) and will probably play against Australia (in a one-off Test at the end of the month). But we wanted to be consistent (in selecting Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu to start),” explained Erasmus.
“Also, the game is different in the last 30 minutes when everyone is more tired. There are obviously more gaps and forwards who are heavy footed (and we want to exploit that).
“Apart from Sacha’s skills and many things that he can do well, he is a really good defender and that’s normally one of the big things for the All Blacks, they try to get a fast start. Manie has done really well, but with Sacha there are some areas he isn’t hitting his straps yet.
“He only recently returned from injury, and with Manie we feel he can come on after five minutes if Sacha gets injured and can handle the pressure, but we feel we might need him later in the game.”
