Glasgow Warriors have signalled their intent to target Manie Libbok in an attempt to shackle the DHL Stormers’ attack in Saturday’s Vodacom URC quarter-final.
The top point-scorer in the 2022-23 URC season, Libbok has enjoyed another fruitful campaign for the DHL Stormers, clocking up 111 points to sit joint-sixth for 2023-24.
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The 26-year-old has been in fine form in front of goal recently, while his creativity and off-the-cuff style is a crucial part of the Stormers’ attacking plan.
Saturday night’s clash at Scotstoun Stadium will be the Stormers’ first URC playoff away from Cape Town and Glasgow are keen to make life difficult for the visitors’ playmaking general.
“The Stormers are an extremely physical team but they have also got massive X-factor and one of the best 10s in the business in Manie Libbok,” said Glasgow assistant coach Nigel Carolan.
“If you can quieten him and get him off his game, they don’t function as well. It’s going to be important we make our presence felt and make sure there’s plenty of heat on him, on both sides of the ball.
“He’s a magician and if you can take away some of that flair and magic, you can make them ordinary enough. We’ve got to match their physicality. They have some wonderful X-factor players and that’s what makes them so good.
“We have got a few guys here who were talking about it this morning and how they can make his life a little bit more uncomfortable,” Carolan added. “Not all our plays need to go out the back, some of them can target his channel as well. Even if he moves – sometimes you can hide players like that – we can seek him out.
“It’s not all about him though. We are trying to focus on the things that work well for us and not necessarily just going after one guy. You can lose your focus if you focus too much on the opposition and less on what you do, so we have got to focus on bringing an excellent version of the things that have got us to the knockout stage.”
Photo: Michael P Ryan/Sportsfile via Getty Images
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Src: sarugbymag.co.za
