Dobson hails ‘Pep Stores special’ Libbok

John Dobson has praised flyhalf Manie Libbok’s rapid rise, from a “three-out-of-10” on arrival at the Stormers to emerging as a Springbok star at the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

In a wide-ranging interview with Sunday newspaper Rapport, the Stormers head coach shared how the team’s success has impacted communities at the heart of their supporter base.

He also explained “The Project”, the franchise’s adopted endeavour to make Cape Town smile in fostering a strong bond with the diverse population.

After four challenging seasons at the Vodacom Bulls, Libbok failed to launch in a short stint with the Sharks and joined the Stormers in 2021, where the Springbok world champion has since helped steer to the Capetonians to back-to-back Vodacom URC finals and a maiden title in 2021-22.

The ‘X factor’

“We went to buy him from Pep Stores,” Dobson joked with Rapport. “Nobody valued him at the time, but I could see he was that X factor.

“He was then a three-out-of-10, he grew up with us and was probably a six when he went to Boks. He became a star at the Boks.

“When he was dropped at the World Cup in the first half of the semi-final and didn’t make the team for the final, I thought we would have to make up for it afterwards. But I heard he was fantastic in that final week, a stalwart who helped out everywhere.”

Reflecting on challenging times, Dobson discussed the Stormers’ resurgence after languishing near the bottom of the standings two years ago.  He attributed the turnaround to the support of sponsors DHL and equity partner Johan le Roux, which helped to offset the loss of several key players.

This article was first published on sarugbymag.co.za. It is republished here with permission.