United Rugby Championship: Manie Libbok credits his form to the expressive philosophy at the Stormers

Dylan Coetzee
Stormers star Manie Libbok loks on as he arrives to a game

Springbok fly-half Manie Libbok believes his brilliant form of late stems from the freedom to play and express himself in the Stormers set-up under coach John Dobson.

The star playmaker was on song last weekend against the Bulls, where he kicked a clutch drop kick to give his team some breathing space to claim a narrow 23-19 win at Loftus Versveld.

The win in a classic north-south derby strengthens the Stormers‘ hold on second-place in the United Rugby Championship with only four more games in the regular season.

More to come from the Capetonians

Speaking to BokSquad, the pivot claims there is still more to come from the Stormers whilst also opening up about how he bounces back from mistakes during a game.

“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,” Libbok said. “Our team goal is to get people smiling.

“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.”

Pressure at Test level

The Stormers fan favourite got reward for his form at the end of last year with his Test debut against France and some more minutes against Italy. However, Libbok admits at Test level; there is even more pressure to perform.

“Sjoe, there’s a lot more pressure at the highest level,” he said. “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.

“If I made a mistake, I knew that I had to just turn it around into a positive as quickly as possible,” he clarified. “As long as I recognised the opportunity and tried to take it – I think that’s what they wanted from me.”

Familiar combination

Libbok benefitted from slotting into the Springboks side alongside Damian Willemse, whom he knows well from the Stormers. The 25-year-old also credited veteran Willie le Roux for his influence during his time with the Springboks.

“Damian 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 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.”

READ MORE: United Rugby Championship: Five takeaways from the South African derbies including Manie Libbok’s excellent BMT for the Stormers