Vusi Voetsek: Pollard has been good for Boks, Libbok can be excellent

In all my years of watching rugby I’ve seen many good players and I’ve always had a particular interest in the flyhalves, possibly because I played in the No 10 jersey in my primary school days.

I’m no expert, but I’ve been around a bit, and I like to think I know when someone’s “got it” and I am firmly of the opinion that Manie Libbok is one of those players who has “got it”.

And that is why it was so infuriating this week to read so many negative and critical social media posts and comments by rugby fans saying things along the lines of “Manie is no Bok” and “Manie doesn’t have the temperament”.

They’re of course referring to the Stormers’ flyhalf and making a judgement call on him based on the one blunder he made in the URC final against Munster last weekend … which contributed to the Irish team scoring a late try to win the match.

For those who didn’t see the game or read about it afterwards, a clearance kick by the No 10 was charged down, leading to turn-over ball and Munster going on to score a match-defining try.

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It wasn’t Libbok’s best bit of play, but come on people, everyone makes the odd error and no one should be judged on one piece of play.

It is encouraging that John Dobson defended his No 10, and good on him for that, and every other critic of Libbok’s should keep in mind just what a fantastic season he has had with the Stormers. He was as good last season, too, when the Stormers won the title.

Libbok has it all, and has shown on more than one occasion he is a genuine game-breaker and match-winner, and for me is by some margin this country’s best option to wear the Springbok No 10 jersey.

I am a huge fan of Handre Pollard’s and he’s been good for the Boks, but I believe Libbok can be excellent for the Boks.

I hope the Bok bosses have watched closely what he has done this season, the way he has played, in helping to make the Stormers team what it has become in the last two years.

Libbok was named the URC’s Fans’ Player of the Season and rightly so, and for me he was South Africa’s player of the competition, just ahead of Deon Fourie.

SA tennis

South Africa’s lone hope in the singles at the French Open at Roland Garros, Lloyd Harris, crashed out of the tournament in the first round earlier this week.

While it was always going to be an uphill battle against Alexander Zverev, it is disappointing that Harris is now our country’s only ever representative in the singles events. And while he has suffered with terrible injuries in recent times, it is sad to see him at 293 in the world rankings when just two years ago he was 31st.

Where are all our tennis players?

To be honest, I don’t even know if there is a full-time tennis academy in this country, or a programme that aspiring players can follow to get to the top, or are they all forced to go abroad to get proper coaching?

And it doesn’t help that SA Tennis is now again without a sponsor, following the news this week that Growthpoint Properties have ended their six-year sponsorship of the federation.

There must be several young talented tennis players doing the rounds in our country and how they must wish they were looked after as well as the best footballers, rugby players and cricketers are.