World Cup-winning icon and file point-scorer Percy Montgomery believes the Springboks don’t have to decide on between Manie Libbok and Handre Pollard, there’s place for each.
The legendary Bok fullback, Montgomery instructed SA Rugby journal that he would begin a match Pollard at inside centre, give him the goal-kicking tasks and permit his expertise of World Cup playoff matches to carry one of the best out of Libbok.
Montgomery’s choice wouldn’t be on the expense of incumbent No 12 Damian de Allende – the 102-Check veteran mentioned De Allende ranks among the many greatest on the planet and is nice sufficient to begin at 13.
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The criticism of Libbok is unfair, in accordance with Montgomery who known as on the non-public expertise of his first 12 months of Check rugby.
“I’ve by no means been a believer that you would be able to ask three totally different guys to kick in a recreation, once they don’t know once they’ll be known as on to kick,” he mentioned.
“I skilled that in my first Check match towards the British & Irish Lions in Durban. Henry Honiball and Andre Joubert missed kicks and I used to be requested to step in. And after I missed, I used to be blamed for the outcome.”
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Paradoxically, Montgomery went on to turn out to be the primary Springbok Check centurion, South Africa’s all-time main point-scorer and didn’t miss a kick within the 2007 Rugby World Cup ultimate regardless of making the final two penalty pictures with torn ligaments in his left knee.
Monty believes the positives of Libbok’s recreation far outweigh his goal-kicking inconsistency, particularly if Pollard is picked on his outdoors to kick at objective.
“I don’t know Manie and haven’t labored with him as a kicking coach, however simply his kicking fashion, I believe his kicking tee is just too excessive. It could sound actually easy, however one thing that straightforward could possibly be the issue.
“I additionally assume he’s concentrating an excessive amount of on the clock countdown and he’s including strain to the method by bringing each kick all the way down to the final second. My recommendation to him can be to belief his pure really feel for the way lengthy it takes to kick and focus extra on his follow-through.”
Monty lamented the Boks’ kicking at 20 % success-rate within the 13-8 loss towards Eire in Paris on Saturday, however added with confidence that goal-kicking is one thing that may be mounted inside every week.
“Eire kicked at 100% on Saturday and gained by 5 factors, and you may make sure that if these two groups meet within the ultimate, the Boks will kick at greater than 20 %.”
Photograph: Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Photographs
