Handre Pollard reveals Springboks ‘laughed about’ Manie Libbok mare thanks to Rassie Erasmus’ superb man-management

Handre Pollard has given a fascinating insight into how Rassie Erasmus handled the fallout from their loss to Argentina last month.

South Africa went into the clash against Los Pumas having won four from four and were seeking to go through the Rugby Championship unbeaten.

However, the Springboks were defeated 29-28 in South America, which ended their winning streak and knocked them off top spot in the World Rugby rankings.

They had a chance to win the match late on but Manie Libbok missed a relatively simple penalty as the Argentines held on.

Criticism

As a result, a barrage of criticism came the way of the 27-year-old, who was blamed in some quarters for the loss.

It would have been the easy call for Erasmus to drop him for the reverse fixture, but the head coach did the opposite, handing him a starting role a week later and he flourished.

With Jaden Hendrikse taking the place-kicking responsibilities, it allowed Libbok to focus on his attacking game.

Pollard was the person who was replaced by the Stormers playmaker in Santiago del Estero and then made way for the same player in Mbombela, but the two-time World Cup winner thought it was an expert piece of man-management from Erasmus.

“It would have been easy to say, ‘Manie, don’t play this week, we’re going to protect you from the media, we’re not going to expose you to this’, but nobody benefits out of that. Not the team, not the individual because it hangs over him,” he said on the For The Love Of Rugby podcast.

“Rassie just put it up in the team meeting in the morning on the Monday and what everyone is putting on Instagram and social media.

“He just puts it out there and goes, ‘this is it, this is what the people are saying and thinking. We’re going to laugh about it. Because he’s our team-mate, we’re going to support him and we’re going to start him this week.’ And that guy performs the way that he did.”

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Support

Pollard also believes that it shows what can happen when you give support to a player rather than castigating them for an error.

“It’s crazy, if your coach and team-mates back you in those times so strongly, the confidence you get… Yes, the stuff is going to be out there, it’s always going to be out there, it doesn’t matter who you are and what you do, but it’s very important in our team that we really stick together,” he added.

“I thought that was a great example of it. Just back the boy and he played unbelievably well. It could have been a make or break, not just him but any individual.

“Yes, he missed a kick but that’s alright, he’ll get it next time. Being a kicker myself, it’s not easy when that stuff happens, but having a coach back you like that and your team-mates, it helps a lot.”

READ MORE: Opinion: An 11-year first should be the bare minimum for Rassie Erasmus’ Springboks