Libbok back at flyhalf as Boks ring changes for England test

LONDON : South Africa have chosen Manie Libbok at flyhalf and foregone a forward heavy bench for Saturday’s test against England at Twickenham as they kept only three players from the starting lineup that beat Scotland last weekend.

Prop Ox Nche, hooker Bongi Mbonambi and lock Eben Etzebeth, who captained the side in their 32-15 victory over Scotland, remain from the side that played at Murrayfield last Sunday while coach Rassie Erasmus has gone for a traditional 5-3 split between forwards and backs on the bench.

It contrasts with the 7-1 split last weekend which saw the fabled Bok ‘bomb squad’ squash Scottish hopes after coming on en masse in the second half.

Libbok returns to the role he played in South Africa’s last meeting against England in last year’s World Cup semi-final in Paris where he was taken off after 30 minutes, with replacement Handre Pollard going on to secure a win for the team.

Libbok’s kicking woes have contrasted with his exciting open field play and denied him the chance to make himself the first choice at No.10 for the Springboks.

On his return to the starting lineup in July, he missed three of his five conversion attempts when South Africa beat Portugal 64-21 in Bloemfontein.

Libbok then pulled wide a last-gasp penalty after coming on as a replacement against Argentina in Santiago del Estero in September, which saw the Springboks lose by a point.

Erasmus, however, pointedly picked Libbok in the starting lineup the next week for the return fixture and saw the 27-year-old flyhalf cheered off after a match-winning performance in an emphatic 48-7 home victory over the Pumas.

TURNAROUND

Wilco Louw will play his first test match since 2021 after returning to the Springbok set-up as a late injury call-up for