ALTHOUGH in his prime, Handre Pollard’s role in the Springboks’ set-up has become a dynamic one.
Once a greenhorn when he was first selected for the Boks back in 2014, the 30-year-old is now undoubtedly a veteran of the team.
The Leicester Tigers flyhalf will earn his 70th Test cap against Ireland at Loftus Versfeld this weekend, and while he will look to increase his points tally of 698 and ensure victory, he now also has the added responsibility of guiding the newly introduced batch of inexperienced players to the international game.
Although only Gerhard Steenekamp, Salmaan Moerat, Grant Williams and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu have 10 or less caps in a powerful matchday 23 selected by coach Rassie Erasmus for the match on Saturday (kick-off 5.05pm), there is a gaggle of keen players training with the Boks in Pretoria.
They include the likes of Jean-Luc du Preez, Joseph Dweba, Neethling Fouche, Celimpilo Gumede, Elrigh Louw, Wilco Louw, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Ruben van Heerden, Andre-Hugo Venter, Suleiman Hartzenberg, Jordan Hendrikse, Ethan Hooker, Quan Horn and Siya Masuku.
For Pollard and the older players, guiding these young Turks through the systems and to a better understanding of what it means to be a Bok will be an important step in their development.
“The best thing we can do as the senior players is lead by example with our work ethic,” Pollard said of this new role yesterday.
“The young guys come with a lot of energy and a lot of excitement and eagerness, which is great. We can pass down what we have learnt, but we learn from them just as much. The game keeps changing every single day.
“The way the boys have been training, especially the older guys, has been pretty impressive. It shows that they still have that hunger and they want to keep their place in the team as long as possible.”
Feinberg-Mngomezulu, in particular, has much expectation and excitement weighing on him, and Pollard had only high praise for the 22-year-old.
Said Pollard: “I’ve watched him for a couple of years now playing for the Stormers.
“His understanding of the game, his work ethic (are impressive) and he is an unbelievably skilled player, as we all know. I am really excited to see where he can go the longer he stays in the system and the more time he gets to play.
“It’s a good thing. It’s creating more depth in every position. He can play 10, 12, 15, so he is a great guy to have in the system.”