Stormers get a big Bok boost
Springbok big guns Manie Libbok and Frans Malherbe are expected to make their long-awaited return for the Stormers when the Kaapse span tackle Glasgow Warriors in the Rugby Championship in Stellenbosch on Saturday.
Both players’ last competitive game was when South Africa klapped Argentina 48-7 in Nelspruit to win the Rugby Championship.
Libbok and Malherbe’s return to the Stormers – after being allowed to rest – will certainly be a welcome boost for the team’s depth, especially after the Kapenaars reported some seer lywe after klapping Munster 33-19 at Cape Town Stadium at the weekend.
But it does not mean that both Boks are just gonna walk into the Stormers starting team, forwards coach Rito Hlongwane hinted at on Monday.
According to Hlongwane – with Libbok and Malherbe back– the Stormers could look to unleash their own version of a Bomb Squad on Glasgow, and says possibly sticking to the starting team that downed Munster: “Look we do want to build that continuity.
“We want to make sure that the combinations start working nicely together, and in saying that there are certain positions where we feel we might need a small adjustment.”
Of how Libbok and Malherbe could give them more firepower off the bench, he adds: “The overall picture for us that we looking to build more and more of that cohesion – not saying that there won't be one or two changes. It will be sort of to either get a better last 20 or last 30 [minutes on the park]."