Proposing to his girlfriend in the same week as starting his first Springboks Test at flyhalf has been a nerve-racking experience for Manie Libbok.
Libbok froze, briefly, this past Sunday when he went down on one knee and asked her for her hand in marriage
Should Libbok freeze on Saturday, South Africans will hope it is also very brief and that he recovers to be in the position to tie the knot for his team as he will play a pivotal role in the Rugby Championship opener against the Wallabies at Loftus Versfeld (kickoff 5pm) in the absence of the injured Handre Pollard.
Libbok, though, has shown this past season in the Stormers' colours that he can land on his feet when he makes an error, recovering quickly to be the general in the 10-jersey. According to the playmaker, he was very nervous going down on his knee before his fiancé Verna-lee Arries and his looming first start brings up those very same emotions.
"I froze, but eventually I got the words out. I was so relieved after I asked her and I got a 'yes'.
"Getting a start for the Springboks, you know the responsibility, especially in the flyhalf position. It is massive pressure, but I am ready and looking forward to the challenge.
"(The proposal) it's the same as in a game. When you make a mistake, you can sometimes overthink it, and then it compounds, and there's error upon error.
"It's one of those things where you have to put the error behind you, forget about it and influence the next moment positively."
With his limited experience at an international level, the Wallabies made it known that Libbok could be a target, and it's a place where they feel they can disrupt the Boks' gameplan. But the Stormers pivot has shown that he can flourish under pressure, even with his back against the wall, and he is ready to embrace whatever will be thrown at him come Saturday.
He played a key role in winning the inaugural final of the United Rugby Championship for the Stormers and helped the team to the final this year. Libbok knows, though, that international rugby is a beast of a different kind.
"I've made peace with the fact that there will be pressure on me. You have to make peace with it. They will come for me. What is important to me is controlling what I can.
"That means preparing to the best of my ability to give me the freedom and comfort zone in the game. The experienced guys help me a lot and will help me quite a lot on the day.
"The fact that I worked with Handre Pollard for three weeks, and Elton Jantjies for the last week, they've helped me a lot in terms of that preparation. They've kept me comfortable and calm in terms of learning from them. I am grateful for Elton and Handre and having them in the camp.
"This is a big opportunity for me, things were not always easy. But I am grateful for all those tough times I had to go through. It shaped me to be in this position today."
@Leighton_K