Sacha setback gives Manie his moment

Manie Libbok’s biggest Springbok opportunity may have arrived, writes SIMON BORCHARDT.

Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s injury gives Libbok the chance to silence his doubters during the Nations Championship in July and possibly the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series against the All Blacks too. ipl-cricket.in

I admit, I am one of those doubters.

While Libbok was calling the shots when the Springboks ran rampant against the All Blacks in Wellington last year – and is highly rated by attack coach Tony Brown – the question for me is whether you would want the 28-year-old at flyhalf in a tightly contested World Cup final that could be decided by one mistake or one goal kick.

Libbok’s late penalty miss during the 2024 Rugby Championship match against Argentina in Santiago – a relatively straightforward kick from 35m out that would have secured victory for the Boks – immediately comes to mind. So too does the unnecessarily high-risk pass that allowed the Wallabies back into the 2025 Rugby Championship clash at Ellis Park, which they went on to win against all odds.

In contrast, when I think of Handré Pollard, I think of his 22-point haul in the 2019 World Cup final against England. I think of his ice-cool late pressure kicks in the 2023 World Cup quarter-final against France and semi-final against England, and the fact he scored all 12 of the Boks’ points in the final against the All Blacks.

If I had to choose someone to kick for my life, it would be Pollard.

However, there is no getting away from the fact that the Boks pose a far greater attacking threat with Libbok at 10, as he showed on that glorious night in Wellington after replacing the injured Feinberg-Mngomezulu in the 18th minute.

“What really impressed me about Manie’s performance was that, in the second half, he didn’t overplay,” former Bok coach Nick Mallett said at the time. “We scored five tries, but not by running from our 22 – we kicked smart, contestable kicks and kept turning them. He managed that balance exceptionally well.

“He came on when the pack had us on the front foot – Jasper [Wiese] was making metres, Pieter-Steph [du Toit] was carrying, the lineout was operating properly, and once Wilco Louw came on, the scrum was dominant – and Manie steered us superbly in those conditions.

“In that period, his tactical kicking and decision-making were excellent: when the ruck ball was quick and we had momentum, we moved it; when it wasn’t, we kicked contestables. That balance was spot-on.”

GENIA: Japan stint sharpening Libbok for Boks

Libbok showed that night he can perform on a big stage under pressure – the Boks had lost to the All Blacks in Auckland the previous week – but he has yet to do it consistently.

With Feinberg-Mngomezulu sidelined for three to six months, Libbok may be given the opportunity by coach Rassie Erasmus and Brown to wear the No 10 jersey against England at Ellis Park on 4 July, and possibly a week later against Scotland at Loftus too.

If he takes it, and Feinberg-Mngomezulu fails to recover in time for Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry, Libbok could get the chance to write himself into the history books against the All Blacks in August and September.

He will head into the international season full of confidence after topping the Japan Rugby League One Division 2 scoring charts with 165 points in 14 matches for the Hanazono Kintetsu Liners.

The Boks already know what Libbok can add. The next few months may determine whether Erasmus believes he can be backed when everything is on the line at next year’s World Cup.

Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images

The post Sacha setback gives Manie his moment appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.

Le rideau va tomber ce mardi sur la Coupe d’Afrique des Nations U17 2026 avec une finale inédite entre le Sénégal et la Tanzanie au Maroc. Une affiche historique qui se joue à 19h GMT. Ainsi, après des demi-finales à suspense, les Lionceaux de la Teranga et les Serengeti Boys se retrouvent pour un dernier duel qui promet intensité et émotion.

Vainqueur en 2023, le Sénégal a l’occasion de réaliser un nouvel exploit. En cas de victoire, les Sénégalais remporteraient leur deuxième CAN U17 et rejoindraient ainsi le cercle fermé des nations sacrées deux fois dans cette compétition. Les Sénégalais ont encore démontré leur solidité durant ce tournoi, notamment en demi-finale où ils ont éliminé le Maroc, pays hôte, au terme d’une rencontre extrêmement disputée conclue aux tirs au but. Face à eux, la Tanzanie continue d’écrire le plus beau chapitre de son histoire dans cette catégorie. Jamais auparavant les jeunes Tanzaniens n’avaient atteint la finale de la CAN U17. Véritable sensation de cette édition, les Serengeti Boys ont impressionné par leur discipline et leur mental. En demi-finale, ils ont sorti l’Égypte après une bataille tactique conclue elle aussi aux tirs au but. Une victoire qui a confirmé l’incroyable parcours de cette équipe dans le tournoi.

Cette finale opposera donc deux ambitions différentes. D’un côté un Sénégal habitué désormais aux sommets continentaux et qui veut confirmer son statut de référence chez les jeunes, de l’autre une Tanzanie sans complexe qui rêve d’un premier titre historique.

Au-delà du trophée, cette rencontre symbolise aussi la montée en puissance du football de jeunes africain. Entre expérience sénégalaise et enthousiasme tanzanien, cette finale s’annonce comme l’un des moments forts de cette CAN U17 2026 disputée au Maroc. Une nouvelle fois, mardi soir, l’histoire s’écrira à Rabat.

The post CAN U17 : le Sénégal et la Tanzanie s’affrontent pour le titre appeared first on AfricaFootUnited.

After a delay of more than 30 hours that captured unwanted international headlines, Bafana Bafana have finally departed for North America.

The squad boarded a charter flight late on Monday, 1 June 2026, which was originally scheduled for the previous day, costing them valuable preparation time.

The tardiness follows the chaotic visa bungle that grounded them in Johannesburg.

Although the main group are en route to their training base in Pachuca, Mexico, the episode remains a stark reminder of deeper issues in the South African Football Association (Safa).

This is embarrassing and has laid bare some of the challenges that should have long been ironed out. What was meant to be a smooth, professionally managed departure before South Africa’s first Fifa World Cup appearance since 2010 turned into a public relations disaster. Players and officials were left waiting as basic administrative processes, such as securing the necessary US and Mexican visas for a co-hosted tournament in the Americas, fell through at the eleventh hour because of late or incomplete applications.

Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie described it as a “debacle” and a “mess” that made the country “look like fools”, demanding accountability from those responsible.

The optics are particularly damaging because the world views South Africa as the most resourceful footballing nation on the continent. With superior infrastructure, a track record of hosting major events such as the 2010 World Cup and greater relative resources than many peers, South Africa is often the go-to example when other African countries struggle to meet Fifa standards for tournaments or international competitions.

Yet there we were, unable to execute something as fundamental as timely travel documentation for our own national team.

This stands in sharp contrast to other African teams heading to the 2026 tournament. Powerhouses such as Morocco and Senegal had seamlessly confirmed their base camps and logistics weeks in advance, with no reported travel disruptions. Egypt and others appear to have managed their preparations more efficiently. South Africa’s self-inflicted delay highlights a troubling outlier in continental preparation.

The incident does not occur in isolation. It reflects chronic administrative inefficiencies, governance lapses and systemic problems at Safa that have persisted for years, from past qualifying errors to financial strains and internal turmoil. These are problems that should have been addressed long before qualification for this prestigious tournament.

The nation can only hope the embarrassing debacle does not have a negative effect on the team. The lost day-plus of preparation, disrupted acclimatisation to altitude and conditions in Mexico and the lingering frustration could weigh on morale before a demanding group that includes hosts Mexico on 11 June.

The squad left without assistant coach Helman Mkhalele and the team’s head of security, Mdu Mbatha, because of incomplete paperwork. Bafana Bafana and the millions of South Africans backing them deserve far better.

As the team heads into the historic campaign, Safa must treat the visa fiasco as a loud and final wake-up call. As it stands, South Africa have scored a spectacular proverbial own goal even before the kick-off whistle. Now it is up to our boys to go on to the field and fight with the added weight of restoring the national pride they had nothing to do with eroding.