Extra heat on Manie Libbok
SPOTLIGHT: The Glasgow Warriors made no secret of their intention for Stormers flyhalf Manie Libbok when the two teams meet this Saturday during the United Rugby Championship quarterfinal fixture.
The Scotland team booked a home quarterfinal tie after finishing fourth in the URC, one place above fifth-placed Stormers.
The two sides will go head to head on Saturday where the winner will advance to the semifinal to face Munster or Ospreys.
However, while playing at home will be an advantage for the Scottish side, Glasgow attack coach Nigel Carolan told the Scotsman that Stormers flyhalf Manie Libbok is the crucial factor they need to combat should they want to secure a win.
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“Stormers are an extremely physical team but they’ve also got massive x-factor and one of the best 10s in the business in Manie Libbok,” Carolan told the Scotsman.
“I think if you can quieten him and get him off his game they don’t function as well and it’s going to be important we make sure there’s plenty heat on him at Scotstoun, on both sides of the ball.
“He’s a magician and if you can take some of that flair and magic away you can make them ordinary enough.”
While Libbok plays a vital role in the Stormers’ set-up, the side has many quality players like Evan Roos, Frans Malherbe, Ruben van Heerden, Warrick Gelant and Herschel Jantjies.
Given the Capetonains’ talent, Carolan admitted approaching the Stormers as a one-man team could be a massive error.
“It’s not all about him [Libbok],” Carolan added.
“We’re 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’ve got to focus on things that have got us to the knockout stage and make sure we bring an excellent version of them.”
He added: “We need to be really true to our DNA and what’s got us here and not get bogged down in frustration when things don’t go your way.”
The Scottish side heads into he fixture having yet to record a defeat at home this season. That was also the case at this stage last season but they then suffered a home quarter-final defeat against eventual champions Munster.
Source: The Scotsman
