Having Jan may be masterstroke
MARAIS: BULLS COACH PAIRS SERFONTEIN WITH POLLARD
Former skipper Adriaan Strauss to also give input.
When the Sharks announced earlier this week that Pat Lambie would be out for at least two months with a back injury, the need for Handre Pollard to find form became even greater.
It’s been a tough return to competitive rugby for the Bulls and Springbok flyhalf, who was out for more than a year.
But the Bulls are hopeful they’ve found a way to kick-start him and their Super Rugby campaign: Jan Serfontein.
Coach Nollis Marais yesterday included the classy Bok midfielder in his starting XV for Friday’s match against the Sunwolves at Loftus Versfeld.
Expectations within the squad aren’t too high for the playmaker, who has just returned from a back injury, but his influence is nonetheless sorely needed.
“Jan is a special player. We’ve included him at outside centre just to help him ease into action again,” said Marais.
“We’re comfortable shifting him to 12 – his specialist position – later in the game and we’ve actually trained with him in both positions. We want to keep things simple for now.”
That said, Serfontein’s mere presence could affect Pollard positively in terms of on-field organisation and leadership.
The 23-year-old had given the impression during the Bulls’ opening two defeats that he perhaps had too much of a burden to bear.
“Jan is a Springbok for a reason,” said Marais.
“He’ll give us stability in the backline and he’s another voice on the field. Jan is a man who sees space and creates opportunities. He’s got a good understanding with Handre.”
Pollard himself is excited to have Serfontein as well as the returning Adriaan Strauss as “mentors” this weekend.
“Those two bring a lot of calmness,” he said.
“They automatically make everyone around them more comfortable.”