Stormers head coach John Dobson heaped praise on fly-half Manie Libbok after a stunning man-of-the-match performance from the Springbok against the Sharks.<\/p>\n
Dobson\u2019s side claimed an impressive 46-19 victory over their coastal rivals in Durban on Saturday afternoon.<\/p>\n
Libbok scored 19 points in the impressive win that strengthened their hold on second place in the United Rugby Championship.<\/p>\n
The coach was delighted with Libbok but admits the Stormers need to build greater depth at fly-half as he is concerned about their reliance on the 25-year-old.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe original plan was to rest Manie for this game, but then Jean-Luc [du Plessis] went off against Ulster and we had to call him in again,\u201d said Dobson\u00a0after the match. \u201cWe are going to give him a bit of a break now, I think.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe do need to build more depth there. We can\u2019t keep relying on him every time. He did make mistakes today, but jeepers, he makes things happen. That\u2019s important in rugby. It would probably be safer with a robotic 10, but for the good of the game that we want to play, Manie\u2019s the guy.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am excited about what Jean-Luc and Kade can do. They all play a similar sort of game. Manie is fantastic in opening things up. That first try set the tone of the game. That was a Stormers try. That\u2019s who we are. He was instrumental in that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dobson was focused on bouncing back from a painful Ulster encounter last time out and he was really pleased with how the game played out.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Ulster game\u2026 we had to put that into context in terms of the personnel, the disruptions, the way we were playing,” he added.” There\u2019s a horrible negative emotion when you lose like we lost there. It was our biggest defeat in the URC.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were always coming for this game. That\u2019s why we didn\u2019t take people to Ulster. That was our plan. We knew this would be very important in terms of the South African conference and getting a little bit of a cushion.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe didn\u2019t quite expect it to work out like it did today, though.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to open things up. That\u2019s our plan,\u201d Dobson added. \u201cThe other \u2018try\u2019 where Manie dropped the ball over the line, that was also all us. We want chaos. We want counter-attacking opportunities.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat really pleased me\u2026 our scrumming performance was superb. But this was always the plan: to rest guys last week and come for this game, a local derby. It\u2019s nice that it came off and we played some of our rugby. Another key to Stormers rugby is our defence and I thought we defended well today as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dobson is also satisfied with the depth he has been building at the Stormers that will be crucial particularly when the Currie Cup starts in March and the side have to deal with three tournaments.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe won the URC last season, but our main task this season was to make sure we have something sustainable,” he explained. “I spoke about it before the season. We didn\u2019t want to become a one-hit wonder.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe key to that, especially when we are competing in three competitions if you include the Currie Cup, was to create depth. Our mindsets have changed quite a bit. A while ago there would have been devastation with losing Evan Roos and leaving Hacjivah out of this game. But then we see what Marcel Theunissen did this afternoon. So we have created some depth.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we have a little way to go in some areas. You would agree with me, watching last weekend in Belfast, that we have a bit of work to do with our backs, when you see what happened after Jean-Luc du Plessis went off. In the forwards we have some really nice depth. So I am very happy about that.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Stormers have two weeks until the tricky north-south derby against the Bulls at Loftus and Dobson will keep an eye on Libbok in the build up to the massive clash.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will have a look at it. We definitely want to give this week coming up off,” he revealed. “That\u2019s really important. The game against the Bulls might be a bit of a mixed team. Of course, it\u2019s a local derby and we want a great rugby occasion. They are selling up a great north-south derby. We will try to be as strong as we can for that.<\/p>\n
\u201cA guy like Manie, we will have to look at him. We have to bear in mind that as well as doing well as we can in these competitions, we also need to give Manie the best chance of making the Springbok team. So he will be the one player we will have a chat about in terms of that game. For the rest, it will be a great north-south derby. We are looking forward to it.\u201d<\/p>\n