Springbok scrumhalf Jaden Hendrikse has backed flyhalf Manie Libbok at the time of need after making two mistakes in the 29-28 loss to Argentina in the Rugby Championship match on Saturday.  

Libbok, who replaced Handre Pollard in the second half, pushed a late penalty goal wide, which could have seen the team win the match in the final minute. 

The Stormers flyhalf, when the Boks was awarded a penalty and opted for the lineout, kicked his shot too deep and the chance was gone.  

Libbok’s mistakes have led to social media having a field day to criticize him, but coach Rassie Erasmus shielded him from the loss, saying they missed several chances to win the game having started well.   

“I’ve come a long way with Manie, and just like the rest of the team, we back him 100%,” said Hendrikse, who played with Libbok at the Sharks.  

“We just had our match review and coach Tony (Brown) showed us how many opportunities we had that we did not convert into points, so the game should not have come down to one kick.” 

Meanwhile, Springbok arrived in South Africa on Sunday and assistant coach Daan Human said the team owed it to the country and themselves to bounce back strongly when they face Argentina in Nelspruit in the last match on Saturday. 

The Test at the Mbombela Stadium will decide the winner of the 2024 Rugby Championship title, with the Boks eyeing their first since 2019 while Argentina are gunning their first in their history.  

The Springboks, who are currently on 19 log points – five ahead of Argentina – only need one point from the match to guarantee the Rugby Championship title, while they will also clinch the title if Argentina wins the match without a bonus point based on competition points. 

The only permutation that would see Argentina claim the title for the first time, is if the visitors win with a try-scoring bonus point and deny the hosts a point, which would see Los Pumas crowned champions since they would have beaten South Africa twice. 

“It’s special to be here (in Nelspruit and back in South Africa) and hopefully we can deliver a good performance for the public,” said Human. 

“We know the whole country is behind us, and we owe it to them, the supporters that will attend the game on the weekend, and ourselves to bounce back strongly. So, hopefully we can deliver a good performance that can earn us a win and see us win the Rugby Championship.” 

Looking back at last weekend’s performance, Human – who said everyone in the squad was fit and available for selection – admitted that there was hard work ahead for the team this week. 

“Obviously we are still very disappointed with the result last week,” said Human. 

“We always knew how tough it would be to play against Argentina at home and it was the first time some of our players played there, and hopefully they learned something from the experience. 

“There certainly wasn’t a lack of effort from the team. That said, we have a lot to improve on.” 

Both Human and Hendrikse praised lock Eben Etzebeth, who is set to become the most capped Springbok of all time on Saturday after matching Victor Matfield’s record of 127 caps in Argentina. 

“He’s a great person, a real team man and always willing to learn,” said Human. “Personally, if I think of a true Springbok, Eben certainly is that person.” 

Hendrikse added: “It’s a massive milestone to become the most capped Springbok. I remember watching him play as an 11-year-old boy, so I’m very proud of him with the rest of the team.”