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IOL News
6 days ago
- Sport
- IOL News
Life without magical Manie Libbok at No 10 could be tougher for Stormers than what they are prepared for
Manie Libbok will be missed by the Stormers when he departs for Japan soon. Photo: PHANDO JIKELO Independent Media Image: PHANDO JIKELO Independent Media Comment by Leighton Koopman Whenever Manie Libbok pulls on a Stormers jersey, magic is bound to happen on the rugby field. However, his departure from the Stormers – confirmed in a video by the Cape side – to Japan is not just the end of a brilliant chapter of his rugby career in the Mother City. But it could also end up in a flyhalf crisis for the team in the United Rugby Championship and Champions Cup. For a franchise that rebuilt itself around flair, unpredictability and a free-flowing attacking game-plan when they nearly went bankrupt, losing the conductor of that orchestra is more than just a setback; it is a massive blow to their ambitions of winning titles in the future. Thanks for all you gave us. Always a part of us. 💙🩶 — DHL Stormers (@THESTORMERS) June 23, 2025 Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Let's be blunt: the Stormers' attacking identity doesn't function without a flyhalf who can pull the strings and improvise on the attack. Libbok isn't just any No 10, though. He has been at the forefront of their resurgence since joining from the Bulls and Sharks, two franchises that failed to unlock the full potential of his talent. At the Stormers, he flourished, and there is a simple reason for that: the Cape side embraced his strengths and built their model around how he plays, not the other way around. Now, with Libbok exiting, the system may collapse. Manie Libbok expected to be announced by Kintetsu Liners pretty soon. #rugbyjp #SaffasAbroad — Darren (@SaffasRugby) June 24, 2025 Libbok's ability is rare and when harnessed properly, he is a title-winning flyhalf on any given day. He steps off his right and left foot, and his passing game is sublime – whether to the left or right of the field, he has world-class vision on the attack even in pressure situations. He doesn't just run plays – he reads the game in real time, and almost bends it to his will when on song. Replacing that will be difficult, and it was evident when he was injured last season. Newbie Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu is promising, and no doubt the future of the Stormers. However, he's raw, and it was clear in the Cape side's flat performance in the URC quarter-finals against the Glasgow Warriors recently. End of an era in Cape Town. 💔 The Stormers confirm nine player exits, including URC-winning pivot Manie Libbok! Reports link him to Japan's Liners. Best of luck, Manie!#Stormers #AllThingsRugby — All Things Rugby (@AllThingsRugbyX) June 23, 2025 He failed to spark his side, and only when Libbok entered the fray as the flyhalf did the team look better. If Feinberg-Mngomezulu is the heir apparent, he will need time. But time is a luxury that the Stormers don't necessarily have in the extremely competitive European rugby competitions. Worst of all, Feinberg-Mngomezulu is injury-prone, and should he go down again for an extended period, they will be in real trouble with Libbok away. Other options in the squad, like Jurie Matthee, lack Libbok's instinctive flair and resilience, especially under pressure. Remember the 2022 URC campaign? Libbok didn't just step up, he owned the biggest stage, and that took his career to another level. Not many players can do that. Stormers director of rugby John Dobson built the team model on movement, unpredictability and creative offloads – hot-potato rugby, as some call it. Without a dynamic pivot to link the backs and forwards and dictate their transition from defence to attack, the model will feel it. Losing that impetus could see the team take a more structured and conservative approach with other flyhalves, except maybe Feinberg-Mngomezulu. That is not what supporters would want to see. They want the flair, the fast-paced action and the fun that sets the team apart from other sides.
IOL News
30-05-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
Dobson: Stormers primed for ‘something special' against champions Glasgow Warriors in URC quarter-final
Suleiman Hartzenberg will fill an important slot at outside centre for the Stormers against Glasgow. Photo: PHANDO JIKELO Independent Media Image: PHANDO JIKELO Independent Media Tonight, the Stormers will face off against the Glasgow Warriors in a highly anticipated United Rugby Championship quarter-final at the Scotstoun Stadium where the stakes couldn't be higher. For the Stormers, this is not just any knockout match – it represents an opportunity to finally exorcise the demons of their record in Glasgow. The Cape side have never managed to win at the venue that has long been a fortress for the home side. With both teams in solid form heading into the business end of the season, this quarter-final (8.35pm start) offers the promise of glory and the threat of early elimination. As the visitors look to secure a semi-final spot, they'll need to overcome not only Glasgow's formidable home advantage, but also the mental hurdle of past disappointments at the stadium. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. 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Next Stay Close ✕ Despite their impressive run in the competition, the Stormers' struggles are well documented, and they are currently on a four-match losing streak against the defending URC champions. The Warriors' physical style of play up front and their attacking expertise in the backline have often proved too much for visiting sides, and John Dobson's men have been no exception. Yet, they come into this match with renewed confidence after a strong regular-season finish, bolstered by a dynamic squad that includes some of the competition's top performers. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, nominated earlier this week for the SA URC Player of the Season award, is back at flyhalf at the expense of Manie Libbok. The latter will make an impact off the bench. Dobson also made a couple of other changes, bringing Suleiman Hartzenberg in at outside centre to partner Dan du Plessis in the absence of the suspended Damian Willemse. 'That (flyhalf) and (the decision at) 13 took a lot of talking through ahead of the selection,' the Stormers director of rugby admitted in his pre-match press conference yesterday. 'Understanding the conditions, the field, the form we've been and what we need, there were some strong arguments for Manie playing at 10 and Sacha at 12. 'But we felt it was less disruptive for the team. 'We've found a certain rhythm with Sacha at 10 over the last while, and that is a big reason why we went with that. 'To bring two Springboks off the bench in Manie and Herschel (Jantjies) and allow Sacha to go where he is needed, that is pretty powerful for us.' ⚔️ The Battle at 10 ⚡️ We're looking forward to seeing Tom Jordan and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu go head to head in this weekend's Quarter-Final 🔥 #BKTURC #URC | #HitsDifferent — BKT United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial) May 29, 2025 While Glasgow will miss the presence of Huw Jones in the midfield, Dobson said they've made special plans to stop the bustling runs of his centre mate Sione Tuipulotu. The Scottish international played a rampaging role in the Warriors' win over the Cape side at the start of the season in Stellenbosch. But he also warned that they must be aware of the Glasgow forwards' prowess, especially at scrum time and at the breakdown. They are known to find clever ways to disrupt their opposition's possession, and the Stormers must be aware of those tricks. 'Defence has probably been our key focus. Their style of rugby, the depth they have and their understanding of the pitch and the 4G factor, they got around us on the attack in the past,' Dobson said. 'We drowned ourselves by using our line-speed to get to them, but we actually didn't get to them. 'They have a ball-in-hand approach and play a lot of phases before kicking the ball. 'It is not Leinster-like robotic... It's good rugby, and with their X-factor players, we have plenty of respect for them. It is a blow for us that Damian Willemse is not there. We've counted your votes and this is the most common road to the title 🏆 Disagree? Play the #URCBracket and share your predictions👇 🔗 — Vodacom United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial_RSA) May 28, 2025 'It will be a test for us, but I feel something special brewing in our team. 'The one thing I can guarantee is that this team will fight on Friday night, and they will be at the sharp end of it. 'They have a great record at home, but we have fight in us, and we've shown it this season.' To advance to the semis, the Stormers will need to play a flawless game, focusing on discipline, getting into the right areas of the field, set-piece dominance, and using the opportunities they create – all while attempting to break the psychological barrier that has haunted them in Glasgow.
IOL News
28-05-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
Sinethemba Qeshile's one-day career revival led SA A to series victory in St Lucia
Sinethemba Qeshile Sinethemba Qeshile in action for the Warriors. Photo: PHANDO JIKELO Independent Media Image: PHANDO JIKELO Independent Media ABOUT six years ago, fresh out of matric at Hudson Park High School in East London, a 19-year-old Sinethemba Qeshile set the country alight with a List A century against a then-Temba Bavuma-led Lions side. That innings of 121 runs in one-day cricket was followed by a first-class knock of 99 in Gqeberha against a Knights bowling attack led by Duanne Olivier, who at the time was feared by most of the top batters in the world. Despite earning a Proteas T20 International cap a couple of weeks after his maiden List A century, Qeshile would somehow almost vanish into the domestic cricket wilderness, like many Eastern Cape-based cricketers before him. Despite having played some big knocks in the Four-Day Series, including a century against the Kagiso Rabada-led Lions bowling attack, Qeshile's one-day cricket returns just never met the expectations, having scored a century in the format at 19. The inconsistency in his role while playing at the Warriors also did not help as the right-handed batter simply struggled for six consecutive years. However, in the ongoing South Africa A tour of the West Indies, it seems that something has finally clicked for Qeshile in the limited-overs arena. The now-26-year-old announced his arrival in St Lucia with a half-century in the first one-day game, and followed up with an innings of 126 off 106 balls (18x4, 1x6) in the second encounter as he smashed international bowlers such as Oshane Thomas all around the Daren Sammy International Cricket Ground. Though he fell cheaply in the third and final match of the one-day series on Tuesday, Qeshile's heroics saw the visitors secure a 2-0 series victory as the second match was abandoned due to persistent rain in the second innings. Qeshile also finished as the leading run-scorer in the series with 197 at an average of 65.66, and was followed by Cape Town-born Jason Smith with 153 at an average of 76.5 and Rivaldo Moonsamy with 149 at an average of 49. With the bat, Marques Ackerman, Jordan Herman and Mihlali Mpongwana brought up at least one half-century in the series, playing a key role in helping the visitors win the contest. Mpongwana, as a seam-bowling all-rounder, made his presence felt with the ball as well, taking a total of four wickets, while seamer Tshepo Moreki finished the series as the leading wicket-taker with six scalps.
