When watching Handre Pollard, if merely for only five or ten minutes, it is difficult to believe he is only 20-years old.
Born in Cape Town, the young flyhalf made his provincial debut while still in primary school, representing Western Province at an under-13 level. While he impressed during his school years, which created a platform for him to launch from, it was in 2013 that Pollard cemented his name into the minds and mouths of fans and coaches alike.
He made his debut in 2013 in Varsity Cup for UP Tuks after making his move to Pretoria. 2013 turned into a big year for the youngster as he was included in the Blue Bulls Vodacom Cup squad and swiftly moved in the Currie Cup squad in July of the same year!
There was no stopping Pollard when the new year started as he was drafted in the Bulls Super Rugby squad at the beginning of the 2014 season along with making his third consecutive Junior World Championship appearance (2012-2014), securing the captains armband along with it.
When the competition was over, it was clear that Pollard was to make the big leap to the senior Springboks team and his move could not have come at a better time for Boks coach Heyneke Meyer. Both Pat Lambie and Johan Goosen were out injured, leaving just Morne Steyn to carry to burden of the flyhalf position on his shoulders. While Pollard’s inclusion might not have come as a complete shock, the fact he started five out of the six Rugby Championship games (scoring two crucial tries and kicking a further nine points in the monumental win over the All Blacks by 27-25), may have been a move most didn’t see coming.
What Pollard offers to the Boks is something they haven’t been able to get from the current or recent number 10s. While Morne Steyn and Pat Lambie may offer strong kicking games, fitting in the current Bok mentality of accumulating points behind a physical forward pack, their personal physical games and an aggressive playing style is lacking somewhat. Pollard breaks from this traditional flyhalf mould by producing an attacking running game with the ability to draw in the players around him into his game plan. Assistant coach Ian Foster has gone as far as to claim he gives the rest of the squad confidence in spreading the ball wide, a move that has become more frequent on the field as of late.
If you add these qualities to his accurate and successful kicking, Pollard has earned and continues to prove why that starting jersey is his. While flyhalf is his preferred starting position, Pollard has the ability to slip into the inside centre role, proving his versatility only adds to his appeal, particularly in the Bulls line up where a void needs to be filled due to injury.
If you take all that Pollard has to offer into consideration, there can be no doubt that he is on the fast track to being one of the greats in the Springbok team. I know this is said about many players who fall short of this label, but Pollard plays with the skills and more importantly with the brains and maturity one would typically characterize a veteran with.
I am not saying he is perfect and has nothing left to learn, but what he needs to fix will quickly become right as he gets more playing time under his belt. However, at the end of the day, Pollard is going to prove to be a vital component of the Springboks make-up once the World Cup comes around next year, a player I will certainly be keeping a watchful eye on.
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