Libbok can take Stormers’ game to ‘another level’

MANIE Libbok has had to dovetail between flyhalf and full-back for most of his career, but Stormers coach John Dobson believes that the former SA Under-20 player could be the man to finally spark the Cape side’s attack at No 10 in the United Rugby Championship (URC).

The 24-year-old from Humansdorp in the Eastern Cape was moved between the two positions from his youth career, and that trend continued when he came through the senior ranks at the Bulls and most recently the Sharks.

He possesses the playmaking skills required of a pivot, with an impressive passing range, solid kicking game and a willingness to make his tackles.

Libbok perhaps doesn’t possess that extra bit of explosive pace that a full-back needs, so he seems to be better suited to No 10 – and that type of player is someone the Capetonians have been searching for over many years.

Even in their Super Rugby heyday during Allister Coetzee’s reign, the Stormers had Peter Grant, whose physical attributes may have been more ideal at inside centre, and they played a percentage style based around a superb defence, a strong pack of forwards and lethal finishers such as Bryan Habana and Jaque Fourie.

But Dobson is determined to return to the traditional Western Province blueprint of attacking rugby.

And while Tim Swiel had his moments in the Currie Cup, new recruit Libbok is the man who will spearhead that quest in the URC, starting with next Saturday’s clash against Benetton in Treviso (2pm SA time kick-off).

“I think the most important thing for Manie is to play rugby. What we saw earlier this year when he played 10 for the Sharks (is what he can do). We played against him for the Bulls when John Mitchell was the coach, and he was incredibly good on attack. We made a strategic decision to evolve our attacking game, so having him settling at 10 and attacking is very important for us,” Dobson said.

“But the most important thing is that he is on the field. Just at training this week, what he has brought, we are really, really excited, I must say.

“We did a lot of research before we got Manie, and I watched a game where John Mitchell was still the coach of the Bulls, and Manie and Warrick (Gelant) played together. I think it was against the Hurricanes at Loftus, and these two absolutely just fed off each other … it was uncanny.

“He’s here as an attacking flyhalf – that’s his role for us, and he can kick with both feet. Also useful as a full-back, as this is a tough competition and with Damian (Willemse) at the Springboks and if Warrick is injured, we don’t necessarily want to move Sergeal (Petersen) from wing to full-back again.

“But his main job is to play flyhalf. If you do see two first-receivers, with the way rugby is going – Barrett and Mo’unga, and Le Roux and Pollard – with Gelant and Libbok, you will have to defend well.”

Benetton toppled the Bulls in June’s Rainbow Cup final, but Dobson said he won’t be canvassing the opinion of Jake White about how to beat the Italian outfit.

“We looked at Benetton – we won’t phone him (White). We’ve looked at that game in a lot of detail, and their game last week against Sale. Tough team, and I’ve actually played against them myself … obviously many years ago, but their DNA hasn’t changed,” the Stormers mentor said.

THE long-running feud between Brooks Koepka and Bryson Dechambeau has the potential to inspire the American team instead of weighing them down at next week’s Ryder Cup, Team Europe captain Padraig Harrington said yesterday.

Koepka and Dechambeau have been involved in public spats for more than a year, with US Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker having to step in last month to broker peace between the duo.

Harrington, however, said that the animosity could be of benefit to the US team and lift all the players as they look to wrestle back the Ryder Cup from their European counterparts.

“If I focused on the US and had this idea of ‘Hey, look, this is going to impact their vibe’ or whatever, it could actually work in reverse... if they (Koepka and Dechambeau) get their act together... the team sees that and pulls together really strongly,” the Irishman told the Guardian.

“That’s why I’m not relying on it. As a captain (of the US), I’d see it as something that could work in my favour. If I can get these guys to show unity, the rest of the team would follow. We can’t rely on it.”

The 50-year-old gave the example of his own rift with Spain’s Sergio Garcia, saying that the two were able to overcome their differences for the greater good of the team. Both played in many successful Ryder Cups and have since ended their feud.

“If it was my team, we’d be working on it... you could say myself and Sergio had that little bit of friction over the years, which we easily overcame... we would be hugging at a Ryder Cup,” said Harrington.

The 2021 Ryder Cup, originally scheduled for last year but pushed back due to the pandemic, gets underway at Whistling Straits, Wisconsin on Friday. | Reuters