Manie Libbok is our general, say Stick and Kolisi ahead of Argentina finale

Springbok assistant coach Mzwandile Stick and captain Siya Kolisi are excited to see what flyhalf Manie Libbok will produce on Saturday (5pm) as the Boks look to clinch the Rugby Championship with a win over Argentina in Mbombela.

Libbok missed what was potentially the match winning kick in their game against Los Pumas in Santiago last weekend, and has since been much maligned on social media.

Stick and Kolisi were both asked about the players mindset leading into the match, after much has been said about him in the build-up, and they both backed him to bring the goods and help lead the Boks to the title.

“Manie is in a good space one thing about how we operate as a team, he knows we’ve got his back and we support him 100%,” said Stick at Friday’s captains presser.

“This week he was Manie Libbok, the Manie who brings energy into the team. That’s one thing that people sometimes don’t realise about him and the impact that he has on our general play.

“I know a lot of people focus on his goal-kicking but the impact that he brings with the ball in hand, he is very is a special kid.

“If you look at the way we selected the team, I think we’ve got the guys that will feel nice and fresh and be able to handle Argentina’s speed, and what Manie offers us should be able to counter whatever they bring.”

‘He’s my general’

Kolisi was also fully behind his pivot, saying: “I talk to Manie all the time, he’s my general. He’s the most important guy in our team when we are talking about our attacking or kicking game.

“He knows that every single guy in the team is backing him and you see that with the selection, he’s playing again this weekend and we know what Manie is good at and that’s all we focused on.”

Although the Boks are heavy favourites for the match, with them back to full strength and having only lost by a single point with a mixture of starters and fringe players in Santiago, Stick talked up the challenge of the visitors.

“They are a good side. One only has to look what they achieved this season to see what a force they are. They defeated the All Blacks in New Zealand, they put more than 60 points over Australia, and they beat us last week, so we know the magnitude of the challenge ahead,” explained Stick.

“That said, we have an opportunity to rectify things this week, and it’s great to be here in Mbombela. We enjoyed the match we played here against the All Blacks, and we know the crowd will carry us this weekend again.

“We started well last week, which was one of our focus areas going into the game, but this week we have to ensure we maintain our intensity for the full 80 minutes.

“When Argentina gets momentum they capitalise on it, and they are a team that plays with a lot of passion and heart, so this will be a special occasion for both teams.”