Springbok fly-half Manie Libbok says he has put “a lot of work” into his kicking at goal ahead of their Rugby World Cup pool match against Ireland.

The 26-year-old was named man of the match in the Springboks’ 18-3 win over Scotland in their first game, but people were worried about how well he could kick goals.

Libbok missed two penalties and a conversion, which could be costly in a close game like the one at the Stade de France on Saturday.

The Springbok management may have put a lot of pressure on Libbok when they called up Handre Pollard, who won the World Cup in 2019, to replace Malcolm Marx, who got hurt.

But Libbok seemed calm when he met with the media on Tuesday. His open play is better than Pollard’s.

His mood chimed with the tranquility of the Springboks hotel golf complex far from the bustle of Paris in the village of Presles.

“My whole game is going to be important, every part of it — if it is kicking for poles (posts), if it is kicking out of hand, if it is my attacking with ball in hand. Every bit of it is going to be important,” said Libbok.

“I’m just working hard on my basic skills. Kicking for poles — I’ve put a lot of work on it to get it right.”

Johnny Sexton, one of the best fly-halves of all time, will be playing against Libbok. This will make the situation even more tense.

Sexton, who is 38 years old, looked great in the wins over Romania and Tonga. In the first game, he became Ireland’s all-time points leader in the Rugby World Cup, and in the second, he became his country’s all-time points leader.

“Johnny is a great player and he’s done amazing things for Ireland over the years,” said Libbok.

“But for myself, it’s just focusing on myself and my game and preparing to the best of my ability to be ready to go on Saturday.

“I’m just looking forward to the challenge.”

If Libbok gets hurt, there is no one to take his place because head coach Jacques Nienaber has chosen to have 7 forwards and 1 back on the bench.

This has made people wonder, but it worked well in the warm-up game against fellow three-time world champions New Zealand, where the Springboks beat the All Blacks by a record score of 35-7.

Nienaber said it was a “calculated risk,” and starting veteran wing Cheslin Kolbe said they trusted the management’s choice.

“We respect the decision of the coaches,” he said.

“I’m sure there’s going to be a lot of talking about it, but that’s things we as players can’t control.

“We just focus on the things we can control, and make sure that we don’t get distracted by what’s said.

“There is risk added as well, but we are quite fortunate to have players that can play in various positions and do as well as the player that’s been selected to start there.”