Pollard fit and ready
BULLS pivot Handre Pollard enters his fourth Super Rugby season in good physical condition and the stage is set for him to finally show rugby fans what the fuss is all about.
The 23-year-old wunderkind‚ who made his Springbok debut aged 20 in 2014‚ is yet to fulfil his potential because of a spate of injuries.
But he enters the 2018 campaign on the back of a good preseason and coach John Mitchell says he is healthy and raring to go.
Last season, he started as captain under former coach Nollis Marais due to the unavailability of an injured Adriaan Strauss.
But Pollard spent most of the time idling on the sidelines after he ruptured knee ligaments that also cost him some matches for the Springboks.
“He is looking very healthy‚” Mitchell said when he announced the Bulls squad to face the Hurricanes at Loftus tomorrow afternoon.
“He has done something about how he deals with his body. He is working on his game and he is becoming resilient.”
The side includes four Springboks in the starting lineup and four potential debutants on the bench.
“We are not going to get 18 games out of him because we must manage workloads. But if we get him for the majority of the games it will be good for us.
“This competition is about continuity, to build confidence and cohesion.”
Pollard will start at No 10 against the Hurricanes and Mitchell warned him not to be pressured by the enormous weight of expectation from the public.
“He will show the public what he is made of, naturally. It is more about proving to himself that he can do it.
“If he is robust for the whole competition‚ the Springboks are going to receive an outstanding athlete,” Mitchell said.
“He must just continue to concentrate on what he is doing at the moment‚ which is to be healthy. He is fortunate that he can also play at No 12.”
The Bulls coach left the hugely experienced former SA captain Strauss on the bench but said the big hooker understood the role of being a finisher.
“He [Strauss] needs to be commended for the way he has come to the programme and taken on new challenges‚” he said.
“He is refreshed by the fact that he will not carry any of the leadership responsibilities and he is passing information to the younger players around him.
“He is leading by example with his actions and there is no doubt that he will be in contention to start as the season progresses.
“For this week we thought he would contribute as a finisher and I think he understands that role.” Squads: Bulls: 15. Warrick Gelant‚ 14. Travis Ismaiel‚ 13. Jesse Kriel‚ 12. Burger Odendaal (capt)‚ 11. Johnny Kotze‚ 10. Handre Pollard‚ 9. Andre Warner‚ 8. Hanro Liebenberg‚ 7. Thembelani Bholi‚ 6. Roelof Smit‚ 5. Lood de Jager‚ 4. RG Snyman‚ 3. Frans van Wyk‚ 2. Jaco Visagie‚ 1. Pierre Schoeman. Substitutes: 16. Adriaan Strauss‚ 17. Lizo Gqoboka‚ 18. Conraad van Vuuren‚ 19. Nic de Jager‚ 20. Marco van Staden‚ 21. Embrose Papier‚ 22. Marnitz Boshoff‚ 23. Divan Rossouw. Hurricanes: 15. Matt Proctor‚ 14. Julian Savea‚ 13. Vince Aso‚ 12. Ngani Laumape‚ 11. Wes Goosen‚ 10. Ihaia West‚ 9. TJ Perenara‚ 8. Gareth Evans‚ 7. Ardie Savea‚ 6. Brad Shields (capt)‚ 5. Sam Lousi‚ 4. Vaea Fifita‚ 3. Ben May‚ 2. Ricky Ricctelli‚ 1. Toby Smith Substitutes: 16. James O’Reilly‚ 17. Chris Eves‚ 18. Alex Fidow‚ 19. Murray Douglas‚ 20. Blade Thomson‚ 21. Jamie Booth‚ 22. Beauden Barrett‚ 23. Ben Lam