No replacement needed after Bok receives 'eye-watering' overseas offer

SPOTLIGHT: Stormers Director of Rugby John Dobson believes there is no need to bring in another playmaker to replace Manie Libbok at the Stormers.

The 27-year-old, who is currently in the Springbok squad for the upcoming Test series against Italy and Georgia, has said his goodbyes to the Cape Town franchise.

He will be heading to Japan, where he is expected to link up with the Liners.

Libbok adjusted well in his time with Dobson’s side, and he was also a key figure when they won the inaugural United Rugby Championship title in 2022.

However, holding onto the No.10 jersey has become difficult after the rise of fellow Springbok flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.

With a big offer from Japan thrown into the mix, the stars were always aligned for Libbok’s next move.

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#SPOTLIGHT: ‘I said no’: Dobson reveals SA forward’s desperation to join Stormers 👇#URC #Stormers #SouthAfrica #Springboks https://t.co/zugBvT08yQ

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“Manie is a big loss,” said Dobson.

“We’ve had a fantastic journey with him.”

Dobson added: “There were two pieces to it.

“Sacha, with good reason, is absolutely adamant to play flyhalf.

“It’s tricky because neither of them is sort of conditioned to be a No.2, and Sacha doesn’t want to be a guy coming off the bench.

“At the same time, Manie got an offer which I would describe as eye-watering.

“It will change his whole family’s life.

“We had a reasonably good deal with him to 2027, and he was prepared to respect it, but he just said, ‘Look at these numbers and understand what it could do for me and my family’.

“It just didn’t feel like it was the right thing for us to say, ‘No, you can’t go. You are going to forego this money, and you are possibly not going to be our No.1 flyhalf’.

“I know what happened last season. One of them was always unfit, or sometimes both of them were injured.

“So, Manie goes with our blessing and our thanks and an open invitation to return. We had a fantastic discussion around it.

“We couldn’t deprive him of this opportunity. It’s eye-watering money.”

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When asked if the Stormers have plans to bring in another flyhalf, Dobson said: “No, that is the short answer.

“To bring another flyhalf in, it has to be a player with X-factor in our game model.

“We want to back ourselves to coach Jurie [Matthee] and Jean-Luc [du Plessis] as best as we can.

“They are both dedicated; they stick to the plan.

“Also, don’t forget, we do have Damian [Willemse] back when the Springboks are available.

“Going into the market for somebody who is not going to be very special for us wasn’t part of the plan.”