The DHL Stormers are keeping mum over Manie Libbok and Hacjivah Dayimani’s availability for Saturday’s derby against the Vodacom Bulls in Pretoria.
Libbok is coming off a man-of-the-match performance where he scored 19 points against the Sharks in Durban, but has played 11 games for the Stormers this season and toured Europe with the Springboks in November.
In the immediate aftermath of the match at Kings Park, head coach John Dobson said that the Stormers were looking to give Libbok a rest and grow their depth at flyhalf, although he did not confirm whether that would come against the Vodacom Bulls.
In Libbok’s absence, the Stormers could turn to the experience of Jean-Luc du Plessis, if he has recovered from concussion, or the youthful energy of Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Kade Wolhuter. Damian Willemse remains unavailable due to Springbok resting protocol.
Speaking to the media on Tuesday, defence coach Norman Laker said that Libbok had a niggle that was going to be looked after, before a final call was made over his availability.
#URC – @mark_keohane is backing the Stormers to make it five from five against @BlueBullsRugby, while Zels believes the side from Pretoria will extend their 12-game unbeaten run at home in the @Vodacom United Rugby Championship. pic.twitter.com/9slmjQdi3Z
— SA Rugby magazine (@SARugbymag) February 16, 2023
“I am going to be honest. We haven’t made the final decision. We still have to assess Manie. So we will make the call over the next couple of days,” said Laker.
“We’ve had the week [to recover]. Certain guys have been flagged with a lot of minutes. We have to look after them in the interests of SA Rugby. At the moment we are just looking to get the best possible team on Saturday.”
Laker was equally non-committal over the availability of star loose forward Dayimani, who sat out the coastal derby with a knee injury that was not considered serious at the time.
“Hacjivah looks very good. I can’t tell you exactly when he’ll be right. Hopefully, we’ll see him in the next few days, or week or two,” said Laker.
In Dayimani and Evan Roos’ absence, Marcel Theunissen showed that he was more than just a stop-gap replacement at No 8, putting in a big shift on defence and contributing with some deft touches on attack.
“It’s difficult to compare Marcel, Hacjivah and Evan. Each of them contributes a lot to the team in their own way,” Laker explained.
“Hacjivah is phenomenal, has good footwork and is very quick. Evan is similar with some power added. Marcel has a very good balance between the two. Everyone could see against the Sharks what he can mean to the team with the ball in hand as well as on defence. He has had to wait for his opportunity, but has grabbed it with both hands.”
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