BOK FEVER!
VITAL PIVOT ROLE
Pollard under the microscope
ALTHOUGH he will be playing in his 97th test, Springbok captain Jean de Villiers feels he will be starting from scratch when he returns from injury against Argentina at Loftus in Pretoria today.
“For me it is like starting all over again,” said De Villiers, who had been on the mend for the past 12 weeks after a knee injury.
Naturally there had been concern he would opt to go into the test match environment without testing his battle readiness in a less pressing clash.
“I’m happy where I’m at. There was a plan set out how I’ll go about it. I’m always quite nervous before a game and now that I’ve been out for a while you get that feeling again. The nerves stack up.
“I needed to really put a bit of extra time into my preparation, and I have already. I need to think a little bit more about the game because I haven’t played for a while,” said the captain.
His pre-match deliberations he insists, will not focus too much on the rookies who will be playing either side of him. Flyhalf Handre Pollard will play his second test, while outside centre Damian de Allende will make his debut.
“Not at all,” said De Villiers when asked if he felt the need to babysit the pair.
“Handre has been selected because the coach feels he is good enough to play at this level. He ticks all the boxes as a worldclass flyhalf. I’m very excited to play alongside him. It will be my first time that I play with him.
“It will be Damian’s first time at international level as well on the outside. It is great to see the guys coming through. The enthusiasm they bring is great. I’m looking forward to a big game from them.”
Although he has no game time under the belt there will be no time to ease into things today. In opposite number Juan Martin Hernandez, Argentina have a fleet-footed freak equally adept at slipping past defenders as he is probing the ball into awkward spaces via the boot.
Marcelo Bosch, who cut his teeth in the Vodacom Cup, presents a more direct but no less threatening presence at outside centre.
“They have a lot of experience in midfield. Hernandez is a very, very gifted player and he can play 10, 12 and 15. Bosch has done really well at Saracens.
“They have their best players on the park. They will challenge us from a defensive point of view. We need to be at our best.
“They have selected a very strong side. With (Martin) Landajo and (Nicolas) Sanchez they have an established nine, 10 combination.”
Where Argentina have been most effective against the Springboks since the inception of the Rugby Championships two years ago was through their loose trio.
De Villiers, thankfully has a good memory.
“That is a good loose trio. They are quality players. (Juan Maunel) Leguizemon and (Juan Martin Fernandez) Lobbe have been around for a while. It will be a challenge at the breakdown. I’m looking forward to the battle.”