Stormers will miss Manie in Bulls showdown, says Dobson

Stormers director of rugby John Dobson admits not having playmaker Manie Libbok for their north/south derby against the Bulls on Saturday is a big blow.

Libbok departed the scene gingerly in the Stormers’ recent defeat at the hands of Racing 92 in Paris. He had previously been sidelined with a concussion.

The flyhalf tends to have a spring in his step when he plays against his former employers, Dobson notes.

“He plays really well in that game. Maybe it’s because it’s the place he comes from and he wants to prove something. I don’t know the circumstances around how he left because when he came to us he came from the Sharks,” Dobson added.

“Manie and Warrick [Gelant] tend to perform in games like this. It is tough for us without three of our playmakers. Manie, Damian [Willemse] and Sacha [Feinberg-Mngomezulu]. It’s what it is. [There’s] no point bemoaning injuries, it is just part of the sport now.”

The Stormers’ rivalry with the Bulls has lost none of its prematch bluster and bristle. The Bulls snapped a seven-match United Rugby Championship losing streak against the Stormers in Pretoria in 2024, but they are yet to record a win in that competition in Cape Town.

“They won the last game and there is rivalry,” said Dobson.

“It looks like it will be a sell-out. For an ordinary league game and there’s hype — north/south, Dobbo/Jake — it’s a lekker occasion.

“The rivalry is great for sport. I’m not sure [if] we’ll have a beer,” he said when asked about potential pleasantries with his counterpart Jake White.

White, too, may have to press a different flyhalf into action on Saturday. Johan Goosen is injured while Boeta Chamberlain is yet to fully rise to the occasion in matches that matter.

White is considering deploying Bok fullback Willie le Roux at flyhalf. “We don’t know what position he will play,” conceded Dobson.

“He made a massive difference at Ellis Park [in the Bulls’ recent win over the Lions]. It’s challenging. His distribution and X-factor is incredible. It is an issue for us. We don’t know where he’s going to be. We have to plan for 10 and 15, and it’s not dissimilar,” Dobson said.

Apart from Libbok, Dobson may be pressed into more changes in his backline.

“It will be an unusual looking Stormers team. Our pack is robust and big and solid, the starting one. There will be some fresh faces among the backs. With 55,000 fans screaming for us maybe it gives us a chance of snatching something.”

Saturday’s derby is one of near must-win proportions for the 12th placed Stormers in their quest to land a spot in the top eight, if not the top four. Dobson admits the latter is a tall order in their nine remaining league matches.

“A top four spot would be difficult.

“You probably don’t want to play Leinster away in the quarterfinal. We played Leinster B there and got a hiding.

“We have to win two or three of these derbies and win one of the two against Ulster and Scarlets and after that we have a good run, like we did in our first year,” said Dobson, referring to clashes against Connacht, Benetton, the Dragons and Cardiff.

“Top four is not impossible but then we have to go unbeaten from now on.”

Dobson said he’d be disappointed should they finish below Cardiff and Scarlets on the points table. “Then the owners would be justified calling me in for a chat,” he added.