Latest news with #ManieLibbok
IOL News
a day ago
- Sport
- IOL News
It's a numbers game: Springbok backline depth separates world champions from their rivals
Flyhalf Manie Libbok has been at the helm of the Springbok attack and is pushing to be the first-choice general for the world champions with his performances. Image: BackpagePix A trademark of the Springboks' recent success has been the remarkable depth and versatility of their backline. From fullback to scrumhalf, South Africa can call upon different world-class players, each offering unique skills while maintaining a consistently high standard as seen during the four mid-year internationals. It says a lot about the side if players of the quality such as veteran outside centre Lukhanyo Am and Jaden Hendrikse, both World Cup winners, and Jordan Hendrikse are left on the outskirts and unable to crack a nod to be part of a match-day squad. Bok head coach Rassie Erasmus will need to cut a few players for his Rugby Championship squad, despite every player putting up their hand during the matches against the Barbarians, Italy and Georgia. Video Player is loading. 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Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Fullback At No 15, the reliable Damian Willemse is back after a long absence, and he brought that trademark attacking flair, strong kicking, and solid defence in the matches he played. He was ably backed up by youngster Aphelele Fassi, who has shown brilliant consistency when called upon. Fassi with his left boot, as well as attacking runs, has been a brilliant addition to the Boks' attack. Centurion Willie le Roux's experience and game awareness remain invaluable. All three of them provide that attacking spark, but with their different traits, they equip the Bok backline with various skills when on the park. The Springboks have no shortage of options at the back with these three in control. Wings South Africa's wings are known for their explosive pace and physicality. While a first-choice pairing has clearly been established over the last year in Cheslin Kolbe and Kurt-Lee Arendse, veteran Makazole Mapimpi hardly disappoints, while the arrival of Edwill van der Merwe brought more pace, sidestepping and an eye for tries. Try number eight is in the bag, and it's a 20th Test try for Kurt-Lee Arendse. Two more from Pollard, Boks lead 48-10 with less than a minute to go 🦅#Springboks #ForeverGreenForeverGold #RSAvGEO — Springboks (@Springboks) July 19, 2025 The incredible work of the four wings under high kicks in the three Tests and against the Barbarians ensured the world champions served up with a varied attack. If they are not running the ball, they can pepper opposition with box kicks, which the four chasers achieving plenty of success. They complement each other, ensuring the Boks can rotate without compromising on quality. Centres In the midfield, Damian de Allende and Jessé Kriel form one of the most balanced centre partnerships in world rugby. De Allende's power and direct running perfectly complement Kriel's defensive brilliance and playmaking. Two other midfielders in André Esterhuizen and Canan Moodie provided the perfect depth, and they should be the second combination going forward. They are almost like-for-like replacements, looking at what De Allende and Kriel bring to the system. Debutant Ethan Hooker has also shown potential. Youth is on the side of Esterhuizen and Moodie as they continue to grow their partnership. Their strength on both sides of the ball and ability to gel together quickly will enable Erasmus to rotate the centre pairing more to keep De Allende fresh. Flyhalf With the Springbok attack evolving at a rapid rate, Manie Libbok has shown over the last couple of weeks why he is the top No 10 for the Springboks. His game next to Grant Williams brings the best out of the side when they run with the ball. Libbok's awareness of space and decision making on the attack is up there, and it will be difficult for the Boks to keep him off the park at this rate. Handré Pollard remains the option when it comes to composure. He doesn't play the game like Libbok, but he brings a different calmness to the team that only he can. His goal-kicking remains his strong point, although Libbok has improved immensely. With Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu waiting in the wings and growing as the Springbok flyhalf, the world champions have a deadly trio that can only take the team forward. 🧵 on the current Springbok squad and how it will be trimmed down to 33-36 players for the Rugby Championship 🇿🇦👇 — Angus (@AnalystGus) July 19, 2025 Halfbacks At scrumhalf, the Springboks boast experience in Faf de Klerk and Cobus Reinach, but the last couple of matches have shown it's time for Williams to be the first-choice scrumhalf. Able to adapt to what is asked of him, he is head and shoulders above the other South African scrumhalves. Known for his sniping runs and quick service, Williams was outstanding against Italy and Georgia. De Klerk and Reinach's knowledge of the game is invaluable and how they pass it on to Williams and Morné van den Berg, who can be happy with his playing minutes, will be crucial for the South Africans as they head into the Rugby Championship.
IOL News
4 days ago
- Sport
- IOL News
World Rugby rules on deliberate Springbok infringement in kick-off against Italy
BAMBOOZLING MOVE: Boks' Cobus Wiese WORLD Rugby has found the Springboks guilty of deliberate rule infringement fron their second Test against Italy. | BackpagePix It has taken World Rugby a week, but the governing body has predictably ruled against the Springboks for their controversial start to the second Test against Italy, when a premeditated kick-off ploy resulted in a scrum. The Boks wanted to impose themselves in the set scrums from the kick-off after Italy had employed dubious tactics in the first Test to avoid going toe-to-toe with the powerful South African scrum. Flyhalf Manie Libbok kicked the ball less than 10 metres with centre André Esterhuizen catching it three metres in front of him and in an offside position. As it turned out, an early shove from the Boks in the resulting scrum resulted in referee Andrew Brace awarding Italy a free kick. Italy coach Gonzalo Quesada was annoyed at the tactic, and a letter was sent to World Rugby by the Italian Rugby Federation. They protested the action and requested clarification on what had happened. The Italians highlighted Law 9.7(a), which states: 'A player must not intentionally infringe any law of the game.' World Rugby have now ruled that a penalty should have been awarded to Italy for a deliberate infringement by the Springboks. The governing body said: 'The actions seen in this example show an intentional violation of the kick-off and restart laws. 'Laws 12.5 and 12.6 set out the sanctions where the ball unintentionally fails to go 10m or a player overruns their teammate at the kick-off/restart. However, if match officials believe this is done deliberately, then Law 9.7(a) should be applied.' World Rugby have not announced any censure against the Springboks. No doubt, also under scrutiny by World Rugby is the Springboks' open play 'lineout' mauls, where scrumhalf Grant Williams passed high to a forward who, upon landing, had players packed around him to form a maul. The Boks scored tries on the two occasions they employed this tactic. The Boks have former referee Jaco Peyper as part of their coaching staff, and no law was broken by these innovative mauls.
Wales Online
14-07-2025
- Sport
- Wales Online
'Cheating' Springboks spark fury with law-breaking kick-off tactic against Italy
'Cheating' Springboks spark fury with law-breaking kick-off tactic against Italy This was a move that got plenty of people talking over the weekend South Africa's bizarre kick-off routine got plenty of people talking at the weekend (Image: Sky Sports ) South Africa have been accused of lacking respect by Italy boss Gonzalo Quesada after a bizarre kick-off routine at the start of their their 45-0 defeat to the world champions over the weekend. The Springboks deliberately conceded a scrum with the first kick of the game against the Italians as Manie Libbok deliberately kicked the ball less than 10 metres to concede a scrum, with André Esterhuizen clearly offside for good measure. It was blown up immediately by referee Andrew Brace, who then awarded Italy a scrum on halfway. Get the latest breaking Welsh rugby news stories sent straight to your inbox with our FREE daily newsletter. Sign up here. The cameras panned to South Africa boss Rassie Erasmus, who could be seen with a sly smile on his face, seemingly confirming that the move was pre-planned to set the tone with a dominant Springboks scrum. But while Erasmus approved, his opposite number was clearly unimpressed. "Concerning the first action, I prefer not to do any comments. Because I was really surprised, I didn't take it well. They can beat us without needing to do these kind of tactics," Quesada said. Article continues below "I think we were, these last couple of weeks, extremely respectful, with a lot of humility coming to the ground, the land of the world champions. "I don't know if it was something we did or said that created that first move but I will only say that I was really surprised." South Africa have had a reputation for their fierce scrums in recent years, so this clearly felt an attempt to gain an advantage early on, despite the fact it was Italy that would have the put in. The move nearly backfired in any case, with Italy winning a freekick from the scrum, which was then taken quickly and nearly led to a try. Against better opposition, it's a move that might well have left South Africa vulnerable, but on the day they clearly felt the possible advantages outweighed the risk. Content cannot be displayed without consent The incident sparked debate on social media, with some effectively accusing the Springboks of cheating. "Dress it up any way you like, but this is cheating," said one fan. "@WorldRugby need to make sure this sort of cynicism is eradicated from the game." Plenty of others pointed out that it would likely be given as a penalty in future due to Law 9.2, which states that a player must not "Intentionally infringe any law of the game", adding that the sanction should be a penalty rather than a scrum. There was plenty more to digest from the match itself, with South Africa running over seven tries, despite having Jasper Wiese sent off on 22 minutes for an apparent headbutt. Not that it seemed to upset South Africa's confidence to continue to try new things. In one particularly eye-catching move just before half-tome, the Springboks, in open play, lifted a man up as in the style of a lineout in a bid to create maul. It then resulted in a try as Canan Moodie went over, and Quesada was a little softer in his stance on that particular tactic. "They always have some tricky, nice strikes from lineouts," he said. "In that zone there's always something a bit special, different, innovative to surprise the opposition. They tried this maul from second phase. It's a good idea because you have to react super quickly. Article continues below "As soon as the maul is formed, if you take it down you're collapsing a maul. "I think it's part of the really good work they do to always be one step in front of the other teams concerning innovation and good ideas and they have the players for it."
The South African
13-07-2025
- Sport
- The South African
The special meaning behind Manie Libbok's wristband message
Manie Libbook has remained firm in his faith after sharing another motivational message on his wristband over the weekend. This comes as the Springbok flyhalf admitted he had worked on his penalty kicking amid public backlash. According to reports, Libboks is set to move to Japan after cutting short his contract with the Stormers. As he has previously done, Manie Libbok shared a special message for himself and the public on his wristband during the Springboks' game against Italy in Gqeberha over the weekend. The mantra simply read: 'God did'. The Bok fly-half was a crucial element in South Africa's second consecutive win over the European country. But while he is now receiving high praise, just a few months ago, it was a different story. Last September, Manie Libbok was mercilessly trolled on social media after he missed a penalty kick against Argentina that would have likely secured victory for South Africa. After bouncing back, Manie posted a message of resilience on his social media. Sharing pics of behind-the-scenes action, he shared: 'You know that God did, he never gon' fail on us.' This week, Manie Libbok admitted that he had worked hard at improving his penalty-kicking performances after that infamous stint in Santiago last year. He shared: 'I didn't have a good record in kicking for poles…I identified the situation, and it freed me up to focus more on my open play and executing our plans, driving the team around the park, and putting us in a position to score tries. He continued: 'It's one area of my game I've worked really hard on to get right in the past few months…My focus now is just to improve on that performance and do my best to get it right'. Manie Libbok is also set for a new chapter in Japan, reportedly with the Hanazono Liners. Last month, Stormers boss John Dobson revealed Manie had cut short his contract to play abroad. Holding no grudges, he said in a press conference: 'We've had a fantastic journey with him. He's a massive loss. Manie got an eye-watering offer from Japan, and it's a life-changing amount of money. It'll change his whole family's life. He added: 'Manie goes with blessing… and an open invitation to come back.' Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 . Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp , Facebook , X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
News24
13-07-2025
- Sport
- News24
How an U14 ‘B' school side inspired yet another Springbok innovation
Saturday's commanding 45-0 victory over Italy in Gqeberha saw the Springboks tick a lot more boxes than they did a week ago against the same opposition at Loftus. In that first Test, the Boks were poor in the second half, stuttering from being 28-3 half-time leaders to eventual 42-24 victors. It was not a performance they were proud of, and while coach Rassie Erasmus made wholesale changes to his side for 'Italy Two', the high-energy, quality performances of some of his players on Saturday will now leave him with a lot to think about. In the aftermath of his side's victory, however, Erasmus was quickly asked about his side's innovation in the match that started from the first whistle when Manie Libbok deliberately failed to kick 10 metres off the start, gifting Italy a scrum on the halfway line in the hopes of winning a penalty. READ | Genius or disrespectful? The Bok kickoff that left Italy coach unimpressed While there was more experimentation at lineout time with some bold options taken, the biggest talking point of the match centred around the Boks – on two occasions – lifting a player from open play in midfield and effectively setting up a rolling maul. Both plays resulted in tries for the Boks, with Malcolm Marx and Canan Moodie finishing once the Italian defence had been sucked in. On the surface, this was another Erasmus masterstroke; and out-the-box innovation that only he could have conjured. But that is the furthest thing from the truth. In fact, Erasmus and the Boks 'borrowed' the move from a clip they saw on social media a couple of months ago. 'It's a maul in general play where there is a guy that we lift. We actually saw it from an U14 B school side doing it. I think it was Paul Roos, where Willie [Le Roux] was,' said Erasmus. 'We saw them doing that and you just get all the benefits you get from a lineout. How's this for some innovation from PRG's u19B/C squad against Durbanville this evening? Brilliant to see schools trying interesting things! @MB5Plug @adrian_slabbert — Alten du Plessis (@Alten_duPlessis) April 28, 2025 Rassie is a bad-bad man,a maul mid phase and a great try Canan Moodie. #Springboks #RSAvITA — TheChosenOne (@_MKNARE) July 12, 2025 'It worked for us twice, so obviously now people will be alert to it. I think it's probably done now for a couple of games, but I'm glad it worked.' Turning his attention to the kick-off, Erasmus acknowledged that the idea had backfired, somewhat. 'There are a lot of plans we have that don't work; people just see the stuff that works,' said Erasmus. 'That was a typical example of a plan that didn't work; we wanted an early scrum to set the standard. 'But the free kick against us made it a good plan in theory but not in practice.' The Boks are next in action when they host Georgia in Mbombela, Mpumalanga next weekend. Kick-off is at 17:10.
