Cape Town - Sometimes in rugby, you get a match where a certain player proves without a shadow of a doubt that they are ready for higher honours.
Just a few that comes to mind are a 19-year-old Frans Steyn dominating at flyhalf for the Sharks against Western Province in a Currie Cup match in heavy rain in Durban in 2006; Eben Etzebeth knocking Bismarck du Plessis backwards for the Stormers in a 2012 Super Rugby semi-final at Newlands; and Rynhardt Elstadt getting the better of Bakkies Botha in a 2011 Super Rugby game at Loftus Versfeld.
A similar kind of moment seemed to arrive for Stormers flyhalf Manie Libbok in Swansea on Friday night.
Despite being the leading points-scorer and playing a major role in the Stormers’ charge to the United Rugby Championship title last season, there are still critics and fans who feel that the 25-year-old from Humansdorp in the Eastern Cape is “not yet ready” for a Springbok call-up.
They point to his jittery semi-final display against Ulster, where everything went wrong for him on the day – except the thrilling late touchline conversion that he slotted to win the game for the Stormers – and the fact that he “didn’t make it” at the Bulls and Sharks previously as evidence of his shortcomings.
There is also a feeling that his general game is too loose, and that his attacking style of play doesn’t suit the Boks’ pragmatic approach.
But Libbok has dispelled those notions time and time again, and he did so once more in what was arguably his finest performance for the Stormers yet against the Ospreys on Friday night.
The match ended in a 16-16 draw as the Welsh outfit scored a late try and conversion to share the spoils in terrible weather in Swansea.
The rain was teeming down and in fact got heavier as the game went on, which made it almost impossible to generate any continuity on attack.
But that didn’t deter Libbok. The Stormers No 10 schemed, probed and cajoled his teammates into pushing the envelope with ball-in-hand, and he created some gaps with his change of directions, short and long passes and little deft offloads.
He also used his boot prodigiously, being able to kick off the right and left foot, including a 50-22 – and that was just in general play. He was outstanding off the kicking tee as well, landing three penalties and a conversion, with the one three-pointer a superb effort from 53 metres out.
Libbok organised the backline well in the face of a Stormers forward pack that battled to get onto the front foot in the difficult conditions, and he nearly won the game for John Dobson’s team with a late drop-goal attempt that was just sliced wide to the right of the uprights.
With Handre Pollard dealing with his latest knee injury that makes him an unlikely starter against Ireland on November 5, at least, and Elton Jantjies’ off-field issues not resolved yet, there is a vacancy at flyhalf for the Boks’ end-of-year tour – especially as Damian Willemse is viewed as the first-choice fullback by coach Jacques Nienaber.
Steyn was unconvincing as a pivot against Argentina in Durban as well, while Johan Goosen has hardly played and still needs to find his groove at the Bulls after an 11-month injury layoff.
Libbok deserves to be seriously considered for the Dublin showdown, and the rest of the November Tests against France, Italy and England.
In addition, his Stormers teammate Sacha Mngomezulu should be part of the squad as well, having shown his class as the Junior Springbok captain and flyhalf last season, and during the Cape side’s 37-20 win over Zebre Parma last week.
The 20-year-old is a special talent and should be fast-tracked into the Bok set-up, like Pollard was in similar circumstances and at the same age in 2014 – if you’re good enough, you’re old enough.
Mngomezulu oozes class and is the real deal, and should feature for the SA Select XV against Munster and Bristol in the additional tour games, and then perhaps off the bench against Italy in Genoa. He is a worthwhile investment, considering all the flyhalf issues in the Bok camp.
@AshfakMohamed