Libbok leans on support from teammates he is competing against

Manie Libbok can do without thinking about rugby for a bit.

So he has The Ashes on TV, a series that this year has been notable for wild swings in momentum and most notably the intensity of the play. He can relate to the latter. 

The Springboks environment is a learning and nurturing one. “It’s very nice to be a part of it,” Libbok smiles.

But it’s an environment that also craves competition because, if it didn’t, the protagonists could not and would not achieve the goals they have set. 

Right now, the intensity within the Bok squad is bubbling just below the surface. There’s just over two weeks to go before the 33 players who will undertake the World Cup defence will be named, and the competition for places has bred what the management hopes is healthy rivalry. 

Libbok is unsure if that means added tension. “I wouldn’t say it’s getting heated between us,” he says in relation to the competition for the No 10 jersey. 

“Everyone knows that only 33 guys can go and it is getting closer to the selection, and so everyone, when they get their opportunity, just wants to put their best foot forward.” 

Whether it was a trick to keep that internal competition dialled up to the max or simply to not give rivals a sense of the direction the Springboks might be taking with the flyhalf position, head coach Jacques Nienaber outlined how all options were still on the table.

Elton Jantjies being given game time was one of those, using Willie le Roux was another, while Handré Pollard could go to the tournament even if he played no part in the warm-up games. That meant that while Nienaber could select three flyhalves in the squad, he could also just take two to France. 

“I can put (the competition between us) completely aside,” Libbok states.

“Obviously you compete to get the opportunity to play, but at the same time you must learn as much as you can from them, and add that to your game and then work hard and give yourself a chance, so that whenever the opportunity comes, you are ready to go.”

There is no doubting the growth in Libbok’s game in the last year. He earned a first Bok call-up for the 2022 end-of-year tour, and used the lessons from that experience to aid the Stormers in the run to the final of the United Rugby Championship.

“Getting to work with world-class coaches, I’ve improved my ‘catch pass’ and kicking. I took that back to the Stormers, which helped with my season there. The kicking game is a big part — especially the way the Springboks play. I have to be more accurate with my kicking.” 

Libbok has found allies in those he is competing with, and is grateful that while they all want the same thing, their selflessness to achieve the biggest goal is a superior motivating factor. “My focus when I came into the squad was to learn as much as I could from Handré and Elton, who are vastly experienced guys at this level.

“It’s not about starting, or coming off the bench for me, it’s about being here and learning to grow my game.”

And while polishing some of the rougher edges, Libbok is aware he must not lose the natural attacking flair, particularly his passing ability, which got him noticed in the first place. “We have the game plan. Within that plan, we have freedom and when an opportunity arises, we are encouraged to take it — as long as it is within the plan.” 

And in between all that, the opportunity to relax becomes critical — hence the Ashes. “I want Australia to win.”