Jacques Nienaber admits it was tempting to hand Manie Libbok a first Test start against England on Saturday, but that he opted to continue investing in Damian Willemse’s development at flyhalf. DYLAN JACK reports.

Willemse will make a fourth consecutive Test start in the No 10 jersey at Twickenham, while Libbok will earn his third Test cap from the bench after bright cameos against France and Italy.

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It was Libbok’s performance off the bench against Italy that had pundits and supporters eager to see what he could do in a starting role in a higher-pressure Test.

While Libbok won’t be starting on Saturday, Bok coach Nienaber has nevertheless been impressed by how quickly the DHL Stormers player has settled into the team’s structures.

“Manie is going from strength-to-strength in the squad,” Nienaber said. “He has been with us for about eight weeks now and you can see how he has taken more ownership in terms of the rugby stuff. We are really excited to see what he can do at Twickenham.

“It will be a similar to the pressure we were under [against France] in Marseille. That will be good for his development.”

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Still, the temptation must have been there to shift Willemse across in the backline, especially given Libbok’s kicking ability and the absence of Cheslin Kolbe, who took the goal-kicks against France and Italy.

“Where we tempted?” Nienaber asked rhetorically. “I think Damian is doing well and he is driving the team forward. It took him five Test matches this year to start settling at flyhalf.

“Damian is getting good experience playing at No 10. We absolutely know what he can do at 12 and 15. It’s nice to have both Manie and Damian as options.”

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