Kolisi in Libbok's corner as kicking duel looms against Irish pivots Sexton, Crowley

In Paris

The 7/1 bomb that the Springboks dropped at the Rugby World Cup leading up to Saturday's crucial game against Ireland at the Stade de France in St Denis has hogged the spotlight.

However, another battle, and a critical one at that, that has gone under the radar is that of Manie Libbok against the two Irish flyhalves, Johnny Sexton and Jack Crowley.

Sexton, who will captain the team on Saturday, is loaded with experience, while the 23-year-old Crowley has only seven caps.

Libbok hasn't played against either pivot at Test level, but he has met Crowley twice this year in the United Rugby Championship's Stormers/Munster clashes, with the latter emerging victorious in Cape Town on both occasions.

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His international bow came against France a week after Ireland's 19-16 Dublin win over the Springboks in November.

Libbok's goalkicking has been an issue that has refused to go away, even after his man-of-the-match performance in the 18-3 win against Scotland in their World Cup opener in Marseille.

Goalkicking has been a constant conversation with the Springboks ever since last year's end-of-year tour. During the aforementioned Ireland game, five missed points off Damian Willemse's and Cheslin Kolbe's boots were seen as a contributing factor to the loss.

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For Libbok, who has a 76 percent goalkicking average at the Stormers, the debate refuses to fizzle out as his numbers have dipped with the Boks.

The Boks, in Pollard's absence, have been reliant on Faf de Klerk and Kolbe for kicking in the event of a Libbok malfunction.

Springbok captain Siya Kolisi, who