Manie Libbok will on Saturday return to the ground where he spent so long in the shadow of Handre Pollard, with the opportunity to steal a march in the battle for the Springbok No 10 jersey, writes DYLAN JACK.
It feels like one of those strange cases of the stars aligning. Libbok will make his first Test start against the Wallabies in Pollard’s injury-enforced absence at Loftus Versfeld, the ground where he had a mixed start to his professional career.
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For most of his time spent in Pretoria as a Vodacom Bulls player, it seemed that Libbok would never really fulfil the potential he showed as an SA Schools and Junior Springbok playmaker.
There were flashes of his talent, such as when he scored 12 points, including a late try, to help the Bulls salvage a draw with the Blues at Eden Park in May 2019. However, it just so happened that Libbok’s emergence coincided with Pollard’s rebound from a long-term career-threatening combination of injuries suffered in 2016. Pollard made himself indispensable to the Bulls in 2018 and 2019, even captaining the side in the absence of Burger Odendaal.
This meant that Libbok never got the time to work on the kinks in his game, which at least partly contributed to his inconsistent performances when he did get to put a run of starts together in the Currie Cup, when Pollard was on national duty.
On Saturday, Libbok will return to Loftus Versfeld to make his first Test start for the Springboks. He returns as a refined player, having helped the Stormers progress to successive Vodacom United Rugby Championship finals, winning one.
In the latest edition of SA Rugby magazine, I argued for why Libbok and Pollard should both be on the plane to France, to help the Springboks defend their World Cup title, making a case for each as a starter.
One of the downsides to Pollard has been his recent injury record. This was what gave Libbok the gap he needed to make a couple of sparkling cameos in the green and gold in November. This included a truly sensational performance against Italy, where he showed some of the best distribution I have seen from a Springbok flyhalf.
𝙏𝙃𝘼𝙏 𝙋𝘼𝙎𝙎 TO SET UP @c_reinach‘s try 🥵
11/14 pic.twitter.com/1c6wihYTQf
— Jared Wright (@jaredwright17) November 23, 2022
Libbok’s performances haven’t gone unnoticed by the Wallaby camp, as experienced utility back Reece Hodge said Libbok was making his claim for the No 10 jersey.
“Manie got a couple of Tests on the Springbok tour, but he’s been playing really well for the Stormers,” Hodge said. “He really did put his hand up for selection and didn’t let the Springboks down. He played really well against Italy.
“We know they have a lot of depth in a lot of positions in the backline and I think the same is applicable in the forwards.
“We’re expecting a tough battle.”
It’s not surprising that the Springboks have elected to field Libbok and fullback Willie le Roux in the starting lineup against the Wallabies. It was the playmaking combination that did so much damage in Genoa, where the Boks ran up 63 points against the hosts.
Everything is set up for Libbok to finally banish the ghosts of his past and step out of his old mentor’s shadow by proving his worth as a starting flyhalf in the Test arena.
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