Yes I agree it is time for him to deliver in perhaps one of the biggest games of his career thus far.
Sink or swim, now it is up to you Libbok to show us your true colours.
We are all with you.
Bokke.
Yes I agree it is time for him to deliver in perhaps one of the biggest games of his career thus far.
Sink or swim, now it is up to you Libbok to show us your true colours.
We are all with you.
Bokke.
Actually he does deliver, no problems igniting the backline as far as I can see, smooth as silk this kid just ask Naas Botha.
So the Irish need to tackle him hard and clean..(Libbok)
Try and take his presence out of the game.
I don't think second spot is better in playing the French,since they're on home turf.
Yeah, the Manie doubters will soon change their minds.
His games against Scotland and the ABs showed exactly what he can do.
He's not lacking any quality, just a little confidence.
I can't see a world were a fit Manie and Pollard aren't both on the field.
Go MANIE....daar's niks ter wêreld wat Manie pla nie...ontmoet hom op ie straat, vra hoe gaan'it ou maat, sê Manie, nee ek kannie kla nie...
One simply has to root for Manie to succeed. If he does, it's gonna change how we play the game. Massive forwards and a sizzling backline...who wouldn't want that?
His success could usher in a strong decade for Bok rugby.
I feel there's more riding on it(Manie coming good) than a lot of fans consider.
My guess is that the Irish are going to pressurize Marnie by cutting down his space and time so as to break his confidence. It remains to be seen whether they'll succeed. Their other target will be our lineout and they'll try to gain parity in the scrum. They would have practiced a counter to our main attacking option the rolling maul and if successful the Boks will be in for a long night.
The Boks umbrella defence needs to be watertight so as to stifle their attack. Also believe that they'll be well prepared for the Bok physical onslaught and that they'll dish out some of their own.
If the game goes as I've predicted then Erassmus is going to regret leaving out his best attacking option i.e. the best backline of all the world cup nations.
Libbok has had more than enough opportunities to gel into the #10 slot but sadly his post kicks are not of international standard.
Depending on him as a kicker has been a complete failure.
Not in any way a big game winner espically if we get to the semis or final.
Thankfully if we get to the final we will have Pollard at #10.
So how did that work out for us….amazing….the URC final was the perfect lab experiment to see how Libbok would play under pressure. But we take a press conference as proof…he was relaxed in the press conference?
And it wasn’t just goal kicking. Four tackles made/three tackles missed. And the Irish never even targeted him especially.
Libbok flatlined all season long for the Boks. So why are we surprised that he was awful against Ireland? Libbok is no more than Earl Rose 0.1
I predicted this would happen against Ireland .....specifically with Libbok.
Sad... but true
The problem is, he can't slot in at FB either because his tackling is a tad suspect too...and we have plenty of wingers and 13s.
Most of our players are fast generic types who don't fit a position. Their fundamentals are too lacking to for most job descriptions. Contrast that with the Frans Steyn types, who have talent, which makes it appealing to put them in multiple positions and roles. Libbok is just terrible. Not much of an attacker either. These types need passive defences with lots of free space to run into. It was never going to work.
Old habit coming back. There is a reason why the bulls and sharks dropped him. If you want to be professionally you have to be consistent. He started to flake for the Stormers this year and already cost the stormers the game with his poor kicking and the final.
When he is off, he is hopelessly off. Checked his test stats and it stands at 60%. Not good for any kicker. He should be at 80% minimum.
What I don’t understand is that he did so well against NZ, got all his kicks and really difficult ones. Now he can’t find his rhythm. It is mind boggling.
We can’t afford to have in a World Cup knock out team. We just need to stick with Willemse and Pollard for now and let him carry tackle bags for the rest of the campaign.
Every kicker has an off day, but he seems to have them all the time at the moment. He either needs to change his kicking style drastically. Percy did that and became our best kicker
This is why I don't bother with what is said in press conferences, interviews, etc. It's just a bunch of yakkity-yak to fill newspapers and keep social media going. Do your talking on the field.
Also, Willemse could be an OK kicker but we might do the same thing of taking a talented guy and making him a jack of all trades. Which I wouldn't like to see happening to Willemse.
Suddenly we miss Elton dearly. The guy was solid off of the tee.
If Manie is a flop...who else do we turn to as back-up? Surely there's another decent 10 in the land...somewhere.
Elton could go off the boil as well, but he was a good player.
If watch the Wales v Aus game. All of a sudden Wales look like title contenders. What did they do differently?
Anscombe converting all of his attempts. Even a drop goal. Nothing fancy, cutting the line or clever passes. Just apply score board pressure.
Line speed and line integrity. Systems finding cohesion.
If you pick Manie, you shouldn't instruct him and the team to play the game we did. He is suited for a game like the one we played in the warmups vs Wales and New Zeeland...he should never again be asked to kick for the Boks, ever. Leave him to play his natural game or don't pick him...they are trying to mould him into something he's not...reminds me of Carlos Spencer...and he's being forced down the same path...so unfair to the player.
His attacking game is not suited to test rugby, or any serious game of any meaningful level of quality. Libbok is nowhere near the player Spencer was.
11,473 posts
South Africa's under pressure flyhalf Manie Libbok said he has put "a lot of work" into his kicking at goal ahead of the blockbuster Rugby World Cup pool match between the defending champions and world-ranked number one Ireland.
The 26-year-old was named man of the match in the Springboks' opening 18-3 victory over Scotland, but concerns were raised about the accuracy of his kicking at goal. Libbok missed two penalties and a conversion which, in a game as tight as Saturday's contest at the Stade de France is expected to be, could prove costly.
The Springbok management may have heaped pressure on Libbok in calling up 2019 World Cup-winning playmaker Handre Pollard, as a replacement for injured hooker Malcolm Marx.
However, Libbok, whose open play is superior to Pollard's, seemed relaxed when he met with the media on Tuesday.
His mood chimed with the tranquility of the Springboks hotel golf complex far from the bustle of Paris in the village of Presles.
"I’m just working hard on my basic skills. Kicking for poles -- I've put a lot of work on it to get it right.”
'Awesome game’
Adding to the pressure cooker atmosphere, Libbok will be facing one of the greatest flyhalves of all time, Johnny Sexton.
Sexton, 38, has looked in fine fettle in the wins over Romania and Tonga, becoming Ireland's record Rugby World Cup points scorer in the first game and then his country's all-time highest scorer in the second one.
"Johnny is a great player and he's done amazing things for Ireland over the years," said Libbok.
"But for myself, it's just focusing on myself and my game and preparing to the best of my ability to be ready to go on Saturday.
"I'm just looking forward to the challenge.”
There is no back-up to Libbok should he be injured as head coach Jacques Nienaber has opted for a 7-1 split between forwards and backs on the bench.
This has raised eyebrows but it was a formula that worked well in the warm-up match with fellow three-time world champions New Zealand as the Springboks inflicted a record 35-7 defeat on the All Blacks.
Nienaber said it was a "calculated risk" and veteran wing Cheslin Kolbe, who starts, said they had faith in the management's selection decisions.
"We respect the decision of the coaches," he said.
"I'm sure there's going to be a lot of talking about it, but that's things we as players can't control.
"We just focus on the things we can control, and make sure that we don't get distracted by what's said.
"There is risk added as well, but we are quite fortunate to have players that can play in various positions and do as well as the player that's been selected to start there.”
Kolbe, a star of the 2019 World Cup-winning team, said the squad as a whole were tight-knit and those playing on Saturday would have each other's backs.
"We just back each other up whenever we go out on that field and make sure that we play for each other," he said.
"We support each other, whether it's a good or bad decision.”
Despite the hype surrounding the match Kolbe, 29, said he found it hard to describe how he felt approaching what was probably South Africa's biggest match since the World Cup final.
"That's four years ago. A lot has happened in that time and a lot has evolved in the team as well -- in a positive way.”
For Libbok, though, the excitement was palpable.
"It is going to be an awesome game, an awesome experience to be honest," he said.
"It is the Rugby World Cup, it is the biggest stage in rugby."