Cape Town - Manie Libbok has had a fairytale time at the Stormers, but it hasn’t always been rosy on a rugby field during his senior career.
Now 25, he was regarded as a hot prospect after featuring for the SA Under-20 team in 2016 and 2017, but things didn’t work out for him at the Bulls and Sharks.
He made the move to Cape Town in 2021, though, and hasn’t looked back – he played a leading role in guiding the Stormers to the United Rugby Championship title, and eventually made his Springbok debut last year.
Bulls coach Jake White said after the past weekend’s 23-19 loss to the Stormers at Loftus Versfeld – where Libbok slotted a late drop goal in another top display – that his former pivot should maybe “thank me for releasing him because at least now he is playing well, and he wouldn’t have been playing for us because we had Morné Steyn, Chris Smith and Johan Goosen”.
Libbok, though, has done his talking on the field, and said the environment under coach John Dobson at the Stormers has allowed him to flourish.
“Playing a brand of rugby that excites the people and gets them to come and watch the Stormers – that’s what we’re trying to do. Our team goal is to get people smiling,” the man from Humansdorp in the Eastern Cape told the Bok Squad website this week.
“We’re not where we want to be just yet. There’s a lot to improve. The intent is there, though.
“The way I play, I’m going to make mistakes. How you learn or bounce back from those mistakes defines you.
“Rugby moves very quickly, and whether you succeed or fail, you have to try and influence the next moment… and then the next. I always tell myself to forget about what came before. There will be another opportunity to make a difference.”
The Stormers are on a break this week, but will continue to prepare for next Saturday’s showdown with the Sharks at Cape Town Stadium.
Dobson’s team have all but secured the SA Shield and a home quarter-final, and have also reached the Champions Cup last-16.
Libbok will be a major part of their drive to defend the URC title and claim the Champions Cup crown.
But of course, the big prize later in the year is the Rugby World Cup, where the competition is tough at flyhalf, where the likes of Handre Pollard, Elton Jantjies and others are pushing hard for selection.
“Sjoe, there’s a lot more pressure at the highest level. But the Bok coaches gave us the freedom to take the opportunities as they arose, whether we were in our own 22 or on the opposition tryline. There was a lot of that kind of encouragement, which was great to experience,” Libbok said.
“If I made a mistake, I knew that I had to just turn it around into a positive as quickly as possible. As long as I recognised the opportunity and tried to take it – I think that’s what they wanted from me.
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“Damian (Willemse) and I play together at the Stormers, so we know each other well and we know how to feed off each other in a game situation. Willie (le Roux) has so much experience, and all of us just tried to learn as much as we could from him.
“He helped us a lot in terms of the way he communicated with us on the field and encouraged strong decision-making, and I think that went a long way toward us clicking. The way we played against Italy was especially encouraging.
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“That (November) tour was my first opportunity with the Boks, and I tried to learn as much as I could, from the coaches and from the players. I’ve worked hard to try and implement what I learned at the Boks since returning to the Stormers. Every game I’ve tried to build and build.
“I want to give myself the best chance to perform for the Stormers. And by doing that, I will improve my chance of being picked for the Boks. I won’t get there if I don’t perform.”
IOL Sport