Dan Carter reveals his Springboks fly-half for the Rugby World Cup final

All Blacks great and soon-to-be World Rugby Hall of Famer Dan Carter revealed who he expects to wear the fly-half jersey for the Springboks in the Rugby World Cup final against New Zealand.

Most of the tournament has seen Manie Libbok, who only made his Test debut last year, at 10, where he has excelled in open play using his impressive attacking, kicking and passing game to in many ways transform the Springboks’ attacking shape.

Libbok is a quality fly-half but has had one major fault at the tournament, and that is his goal-kicking. Enter Handre Pollard.

The 2019 World Cup winner missed out on the Springboks squad initially due to injury and ended up being called up as a replacement for hooker Malcolm Marx. His time since has been managed carefully, with Libbok still doing most of the heavy lifting.

Big call

The brains trust at the Springboks kept Libbok starting for the semi-final, but the wet weather and tight nature of the game did not suit the Stormer, who was removed after 31 minutes.

It was a bold decision but one that ultimately paid off with Pollard’s cool and calm influence spreading through the team. The veteran was on hand to kick the winner late on as he did the week before against France.

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Carter feels that despite Libbok’s quality going forward, the final is tailor-made for an iceman in Pollard.

“I think with the pressure, the experience of Pollard in such a big occasion, with the hurt and learnings he had from 2015, he’s been on both sides, successful and unsuccessful campaigns,” Carter said on The Official World Cup podcast.

“He’s really going to play a key part, having that experience out there right out from the get-go.

“It’s a tough one to take for Libbok, but he has been a fantastic player, in different conditions, dry conditions, when it’s a bit more open.”

Anything is possible with Rassie

Another consideration is that Libbok was at the helm of the Springboks when they handed the All Blacks their biggest defeat in history with a 35-7 scoreline at Twickenham just before the tournament.

Carter knows that the director of SA Rugby, Rassie Erasmus, is an unpredictable tactician and admits the possibility of Libbok starting is still there.

“I can tell you right now, don’t be surprised if you see Libbok starting. Rassie always has a plan, and the only thing you know for sure is that you have no clue what he’s going to do next,” he added.

The two sides both have three titles in the cabinet, meaning the winner is set to write their name in the history books as the game’s most successful World Cup team.

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