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Neil de Kock: Libbok can make Springbok statement with World Cup looming
The Springboks have made five changes to their starting XV to tackle France in the 45th test between the two nations.
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United Rugby Championship-winning Stormers flyhalf Manie Libbok has been named as a substitute and I’m sure he’ll make his debut. Libbok has been outstanding for the Stormers and tends to get his backs away well. He has faced some pressurised situations where he has delivered. In the big moments, he has stood up and been counted. He’s obviously inexperienced at international level and quite raw in that regard but he’s also a player capable of doing some really good things. The Stormers coaching staff stuck with him at 10 and he brought it week-in and week-out. In terms of their style of play, he fits it so nicely and they reaped the rewards. The benefit for the Springboks is that they have got someone like Libbok who can come on.
A talking point for everyone after last week’s defeat to Ireland was regarding goalkicking. With test match rugby, it’s always more comforting for a team to go in with an 80-90 percent goalkicker. Would I have preferred to have Libbok starting? It’s a catch-22 because you would be putting him in a debut test against the French in France which is quite a responsibility and would have made a statement. It’s probably the best decision the Bok coaching staff could have made to go with the tried-and-tested Damian Willemse and then have Libbok come on and do a job for them in the final half an hour.
If you look through the Springbok starting team, there are quite a few people debating who is actually going to take the kicking duties from the start. I would like to think it will be Willemse but after one kick against Ireland, he either decided he didn’t want to carry on or it was decided for him. Cheslin Kolbe then took over the goalkicking and had a 33 percent success rate courtesy of two missed conversions. There have been suggestions that Kolbe will be the first-choice kicker in Marseille. It may be a red herring but if it came to pass it wouldn’t really surprise me because he has kicked for Toulouse before.
Willemse has played the majority of his minutes in the URC at centre and fullback. Taking that into account, he has been outstanding slotting in for the Springboks at 10. We know his abilities and that he is able to play almost anywhere across the backline but, if Kolbe is to be the first-choice kicker, it may not be a bad thing just to take that extra little bit of responsibility away from Damian to focus on his game. He has massive responsibility on his shoulders as it is and to lob the goal-kicking duties on him as well is a lot. I don’t think Damian is inexperienced at 10 but rather that he’s currently underplayed. If you are playing in a different position all season, you are probably a little bit rusty when you get into that driving seat. Damian is a fantastic rugby player and hopefully he will come to the fore.
But if you think of teams, a lot of times the bus driver can be the 9. Fourie du Preez was a perfect example of it for many years with the Boks. During my test career, my partner at 10 went from the ultra-conservative to the combative to the mercurial runner. In those days, the Bok coaches experimented with different variations. With the likes of Handre Pollard and Elton Jantjies unavailable, if we are thinking about the World Cup next year then it’s definitely not the worst thing in the world. If you want to test players at international level, now is the time to do it. The Springboks have one of the toughest tours on the end of year calendar and if you’re not going to test the likes of Willemse and Libbok now then when else would you test them? All 10s have strengths and weaknesses in terms of how they play but, for me, it has always been how they communicate coupled with their ability to remain calm.
A 9-10 pairing needs to spend time together in the saddle and France have that in Antoine Dupont and Romain Ntamack. Dupont is definitely a talisman for France and a special player. If the Boks nullify him there is still plenty of talent there but he is at the heart of it. I think it’s fair to say that France play more of a balanced game through the 9 and 10 but that said they are just as conservative as the Springboks in certain parts of the field. They possess a good exit strategy and don’t mess around in their own third too much.
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Following an 11-year career with Saracens, which saw him earn 264 caps, Neil de Kock now works in the rugby division at the Stellenbosch Academy of Sport. De Kock, who featured in 10 Test matches for the Springboks, provides RugbyPass with expert insight and opinion focusing on South Africa.
Comments on RugbyPass
Says much about the player picking this gig over the easier and bigger rewards offered to him in Japan. Also says a lot about the state sanctioned tax benefits the Irish Revenue offers pro rugby players, with their ten highest earning years subject to an additional 40% tax relief and paid as a lump sum, in cash, at retirement. Certainly helps Leinster line up the financial ducks in a row to fund marquee signings like this!!! No other union anywhere in world rugby benefits from this kind of lucrative financial sponsorship from their government…
2 Go to commentsTrue Jordie could earn a lot more in Japan. But by choosing Leinster he’ll be playing with 1 of the best clubs in the world and can win a champions cup and URC…..
6 Go to commentsThanks for that Marshy, noticed you didn't say who is gonna win it. We know who ain't gonna win it - your Crusaders outfit. They've gone from having arguably the best Super Rugby first five ever, to having a clutch of rookies. Hurricanes all the way!
1 Go to commentsGeez you really have to question the NRLs ability to produce players of quality. Its pathetic. Dont the 25mil in Aus produce enough quality womens players. Sad.
1 Go to commentsBulls fan here, and agree 100% with the conclusion (and little else) of this article. SA sides should absolutely f-off from the champs cup until we get fair scheduling, equal support for travel arrangements and home semis. You know, like all the european teams get.
23 Go to commentsI’m yet to see why Grace would be an ABs contender. He’s pedestrian and lacks the dominance required of a top flight 8.
10 Go to commentsGee my Highlanders were terrible. They have gone backwards since the start of the season. The trouble began when we left Millar behind to prep as the 10 against the Brumbies and he was disconnected from the team that came back from Aussie. We rested Patchell for that game and we blew an avalanche of ball in good attacking positions in the 1st half. Against the Rebels we seem to of gone into a pod system with forwards hanging off from the breakdown leaving Fakatava to secure our ball!
78 Go to commentsPot Kettle, the English and French teams have done it for years.
23 Go to commentsHas virtually played every minute of previous games. Back row of Li Lo Willie , Grace and Blackadder would be the 1. Crusaders issue is a very average 1st 5 who cannot run. Kicking in general play is also below par They need to put Yong Kemara in. He must have so.e talent for them to bring him down from Waikato. Hoehepa would struggle to play in so.e club sided
10 Go to commentsI hope this a good thing making all these changes!
2 Go to commentsThe Hurricanes are good, especially with a decent coach now. However, let’s be real, the Crusaders and Chiefs are clearly a good degree weaker without the players they’ve lost overseas now. The Canes lost one player. It’s also why the aussie teams ‘seem’ to be stronger.
9 Go to commentsOr you could develop your own players instead of constantly taking from the SH competition and weakening it in the process? With all the player and financial resources these unions have compared to SH countries you’d think they could manage that, or is weakening the SH comps and their national sides an added bonus? Probably.
3 Go to commentsNot so fast Aaron, we might need you in black yet lol. God knows he’d be a lot less nerve-racking than hot and (very) cold players like Perofeta. It’s really a shame Reuben Love isn’t playing 10, we’ve got enough 15 options.
4 Go to commentsAnd those from the NH still seem to be puzzled (and delighted) why NZ’s depth isn’t what it once was. Over 600 NZ players overseas, that’s insane. This sort of deal is why Super Rugby coaches have admitted they struggle now to find enough quality to fill out their squads.
6 Go to commentsArticle intéressant ! La question devrait régulièrement se poser pour les jeunes français originaires de Nouvelle-Calédonie, Wallis-et-Futuna et de Polynésie entre la Nouvelle-Zélande et la Métropole… Difficile pour la fédération française de rugby de se positionner : soit le choix est fait de dénicher les jeunes talents et de les faire venir très tôt en Métropole, au risque de les déraciner, soit on prend le risque de se les faire “piller” par les All Blacks qui, telle une araignée, essaye de récupérer tous les talents des îles du Pacifique… À la France de se défendre en développant l’aura du XV de France et des clubs français dans ses collectivités d’Outre-mer !
3 Go to commentsWrong bay. He needs to come to the REAL BAY which is Bay Of Plenty and have a crack at making the Chiefs.
3 Go to commentsIs Barrett going play full back??? They already have all the centers…
16 Go to commentsForgive my ignorance, I might not fully understand so would appreciate clarification: Didn’t the Bulls have to fly with three different carriers, paid for by the South African Rugby Union, whilst Edinburgh got a chartered flight sponsored by EPCR? Also, as far as I understand it South African teams don’t yet share in the revenue from the competition and are not allowed to host Semi-finals or Finals at home. Surely if everyone wants South Africans to “take the competition seriously” then they must make South Africans feel welcome, allow them to share in the revenue, and give them the same levels of access as the teams from the other countries. Just a reminder that South Africa has a large and passionate Rugby audience. Just by virtue of our teams being a part of these competitions means that more of us are likely to watch the knockout games, even if our teams haven’t qualified. It would be silly to alienate such a large audience by making them feel unwelcome.
23 Go to commentsFirst of all. This guy is very much behind the curve. All the bleating, whingeing, whining and moaning took place days ago already. Not adding anything to the topic other than more bleating, whingeing, whining and moaning. 🍼 Second of all, not one mention of the fact that South African teams can’t get home semi finals or finals. The tournament was undermined and devalued by the administrators. 🤡 Thirdly, football teams often have to juggle selections in mid week games, premier games, champions league games etc. and will from time to time prioritize certain titles over others. 🐒 And lastly FEK Neil, and anyone else for that matter, for insisting on telling teams how to manage themselves. If they make what is largely a business decision that suits them and doesn’t suit you - tough shite. 💩 It’s not rocket science as to why the Bulls did what they did. If this guy is too slow to figure it out (and is deliberately not mentioning one of the key reasons why) then he isn’t a journalist. He should join the rest of us pundit plebs in comments section. 🥴
23 Go to commentsSo the first door to knock on Rob is Parliament followed by HMRC. The Irish Revenue deliver a 40% tax relief rebate on the HIGHEST EARNING TEN YEARS of every pro Irish rugby players contract earnings at retirement. That goes a long way to both retaining their best talent and freeing up wages for marquee players. Who knows, if that had been in place in the UK, you might not have been able to poach Hoggy and Jonny Gray from Glasgow…!!!
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