Libbok has a shot of pushing for Boks’ World Cup No.10 jersey

Cape Town – Since 1992, there have been six players who made their Springboks’ Test debuts at flyhalf at the age of 20.

The first on that list is Derick Hougaard, who featured against Uruguay at the 2003 Rugby World Cup in Perth, followed by Meyer Bosman, Pat Lambie, Johan Goosen, Handré Pollard and Curwin Bosch.

There were also a number of 22-year-old Bok debutant flyhalves, including Gaffie du Toit, Jaco van der Westhuizen, Butch James, Brent Russell, Peter Grant and Elton Jantjies.

Sure, some of them have gone on to have stellar careers, with James, Pollard and Lambie the stand-outs.

But while some may not have become household names on the global scene, there was no doubt that they were prodigious young talents who warranted an opportunity at the highest level at the time of their selection.

The next player of that ilk should have been Cape prodigy Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, but it hasn’t quite happened for the Bishops old boy.

A tibia injury while on duty for South Africa A against Bristol last November sidelined him, and most recently, a hand fracture ruled him out of the URC final for the Stormers.

Being switched between flyhalf, inside centre and fullback across the WP and Stormers sides hasn’t helped Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s national ambitions either.

All of these obstacles are a real pity for the Boks, as the youngster could have been the perfect back-up to Manie Libbok following injuries to Handré Pollard (calf) and Damian Willemse (knee).

Feinberg-Mngomezulu was outstanding in captaining the Junior Springboks to an Under-20 tournament victory over the Six Nations countries in Italy last year, and could have been elevated to the Test team in similar fashion to how Pollard was in 2014.

But now Elton Jantjies has been recalled from the wilderness of the French second division, which is not ideal preparation to face the Wallabies, All Blacks and Argentina in the coming months.

“Damian has a knee injury and will be touch-and-go for the first Test of the season next month while Handre is definitely out,” Bok coach Jacques Nienaber said this week.

“It means Manie is our only fit flyhalf as of today, and we can’t go into a Test season without any cover. We weighed up the options available locally and overseas – having tracked all of them throughout the season just completed – and Elton is the next flyhalf in line.

“He knows our thinking and systems inside out and can slot in easily. We kick off against Australia in three weeks, and should Damian Willemse not return to full fitness by then, Elton would be ready to play.”

But while that’s a reasonable explanation for Jantjies’ selection, the other possible contender was Robert du Preez.

While the former Sharks and Stormers pivot has operated at outside centre as well for Sale in England, he was picked at No.10 in the English Premiership Team of the Year and excelled there for his club, resulting in a nomination for the Player of the Year.

Du Preez’s only Test came in 2018 against Wales in Washington, where he will be remembered for a charged-down kick that led to a match-winning try for Ryan Elias.

But, with his 30th birthday coming up in late July, Du Preez is a wise old head now who is at the top of his game, and could have been a handy option with his ability to play at flyhalf, centre and fullback as well.

The Bok coaches have gone for their man in Jantjies, though, but the absence of Pollard and Willemse also provides Libbok with his big break.

He has pulled off some incredible displays for the Stormers over the last two seasons, and does things that no other South African flyhalf is capable of.

In many respects, he is in the mould of a Dan Carter and Richie Mo’unga as a playmaker, able to create try-scoring opportunities equally well with his passing and kicking games, while he has terrific pace to take on the opposition defences himself with ball-in-hand as well.

Libbok proved on last year’s end-of-year tour to Europe that he can reproduce that kind of magic for the Boks against Italy and England, but those appearances came off the bench.

Wearing the No 10 jersey and starting a Test match brings a totally different kind of pressure, so Libbok needs to show that he can deliver in the toughest of circumstances.

And it doesn’t come tougher than Australia and New Zealand, who have five World Cup titles between them.

The first Bok Rugby Championship Test is about three weeks away against the Wallabies at Loftus Versfeld on July 8, and the Aussies will be fired up to respond to a new coach in veteran mentor Eddie Jones with an inspired performance in Pretoria.

Then it’s the ultimate Test of facing the All Blacks in Auckland – even though it’s not at Eden Park, but rather Mount Smart Stadium – where Mo’unga and Co will be waiting to pounce on Libbok.

With the South African franchises out of Super Rugby, someone like Libbok will need to adapt quickly to the faster pace of play that Australia and New Zealand will impose on the game.

But the 25-year-old from Humansdorp in the Eastern Cape has shown that he can produce the goods on the biggest stage, and if he comes through the Rugby Championship with flying colours, he could be pushing hard for Pollard’s No.10 jersey at the World Cup.

@ashfakmohamed