Cape Town - Ah, the battle of the halfbacks.
Whenever the Stormers take on the Bulls, there are battles aplenty, with all of them important, and this time is no different. Or, maybe it is different...different in the sense that this weekend, all those battles are even bigger.
Two men who are going to have a particularly vital one when the Stormers meet the Bulls in the United Rugby Championship grand final at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday is Manie Libbok and Herschel Jantjies.
So, here’s a look at the Stormers halfbacks.
Manie Libbok
The Bull-turned-Stormer overcame a nightmare outing in their semi-final clash in Cape Town last weekend to not only give the pass that put Warrick Gelant away for the score-equalling try, but he also shook off his troubles with the tee from earlier in the match to slot the match-winning conversion at the death and snatch victory away from the Irish side.
And while he was far from his best up until those moments, they did, in a way, add to the praise that should be heaped on him for showing that level of calmness.
It could have been easy to crack under the pressure, especially considering his earlier woes, but he didn’t, and that says a lot.
This week, those cool nerves are going to be pivotal.
The Stormers have good reason to feel confident in the 24-year-old going into the decider against the Bulls. He has shown that he can deliver when it matters, and no other match matters more than the one this weekend.
He has come a long way since joining the Stormers after not being backed and given time to grow in the driving seat, but now, he's flourishing with the freedom he's been given, and you can see it in his play.
The competition's top points-scorer's game management has been key in how dangerous their backs have been and the opportunities created, while he has produced a good few of his own individual moments of brilliance thanks to that attacking mind, quick feet and skill.
He has been playing in a way that other South African flyhalves just haven't.
More of the same, please.
Herschel Jantjies
For a big part of the Stormers’ URC campaign, Jantjies has been rather up and down, but last weekend, the Springbok scrumhalf didn’t do much that could be faulted.
He did brilliantly in the build-up to that first try by Evan Roos as he got the pass away, and off the boot, he did a good job as well in terms of his box kicks. He played a role leading up to Gelant’s try, and it’s those kinds of moments he’ll be hoping to produce more of against the Pretoria side.
Jantjies made a remarkable burst onto the international scene in 2019, but since the World Cup in Japan, he hasn’t consistently emulated the form that made him the top scrumhalf in green and gold at one stage.
The URC final is the perfect platform to reintroduce himself, and given the Test season that lies ahead, there could be no better time, either.
IOL Sport