Pollard calm before ‘storm’
THE LAST time the Bulls beat the Stormers at Newlands six years ago, Springbok flyhalf Handre Pollard was a schoolboy at Paarl Gymnasium and probably dreaming of one day playing a starring role for the Cape Town-based Super Rugby franchise.
Well, Pollard’s dream of being the star of the show at Newlands could still come true but this time in the colours of the Bulls as he will lead the three times Super Rugby champions.
The 22-year-old Pollard and his team are under no illusion of how difficult playing at Newlands will be, not just because of his team’s five match losing streak, but more so because of the impact it could have on their campaign going forward.
Pollard is confident that the nature of this derby and the fact they will be playing in the enemy’s backyard, will bring out the best from his players.
“It is always tough going back but it is also fun going there because it is so tough and the crowd is so hostile. It is not enjoyable but it is enjoyable, if you understand what I mean. It is really tough but it’s something that psyches us up and brings the best out of us. Not many of us have won against the Stormers at Newlands so it’s really something that we want to tick off. Beating the Stormers at Newlands is something that will kickstart our season and give us confidence going forward,” said Pollard.
Besides the passion and intent to decapitate each other that will fuel Saturday’s derby, the reality is that the Bulls are going to set the tone for how they will perform away from home this season with only one of their first seven games being at Loftus Versfeld.
Furthermore, their ability to contain their emotions and focus on the job at hand will not only stand them in good stead at turning around their bad run of results in Cape Town but it will also be a confidence boost ahead of another derby a week later against the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein.
“Absolutely. I think our first seven weeks are very tough because we play one game at home. So we got to get a good start and we got to get out of the blocks quickly. We don’t want to be playing catch up rugby like we’ve done in the last couple of seasons. It is never the situation we want to be in so we want to come out of the blocks firing and hopefully get a few wins under our belt before that bye week. So, getting the two victories is of absolute importance for us.”
Ever confident and showing no signs of self-doubt after spending all of last year on the sidelines because of injuries, Pollard doesn’t mind shouldering the responsibility that comes with leading the Bulls and instead has promised to take the fight to the Stormers.
“It is a much bigger responsibility and it is also a challenge but an exciting challenge. We have such a great group of young guys and we are going to go out there to express ourselves because it is the only way we know. We are going to go out there and enjoy it. I believe the players back me and I back them. They trust me and hopefully I can go out and lead them by example and we can get some victories under our belt,” Pollard said.