Handré Pollard of South Africa looks set to miss the Rugby Championship as he recovers from injury. Picture: Gavin Barker, BackpagePix
Johannesburg – Damian Willemse will be there; Manie Libbok no doubt, too; perhaps even Elton Jantjies; but Handré Pollard will, in all probability, have to give it a miss.
That seems to be the configuration that the Springboks’ plan of action is taking ahead of their opening match of the Rugby Championship against Australia next weekend.
Willemse and Libbok are the front-runners to start and play in the match, Jantjies will act as back-up in an emergency, while Pollard continues to recuperate from a calf injury that will most likely only see him available for selection in August again.
It is also clear that 29-year-old Pollard is very much the main man when it comes to the No.10 jumper with the World Cup looming and, much like captain Siya Kolisi, will be given as much time as possible to prove his fitness ahead of the tournament.
That was the inference gleaned yesterday in Pretoria, where the Boks are preparing for the Rugby Championship, when SA Rugby director of rugby Rassie Erasmus and Bok coach Jacques Nienaber revealed the extent of Pollard’s non-availability in the coming weeks.
“With a re-injury, we are always a little bit more nervous,” Erasmus explained.
“That is the reason we have Elton here – so that Handré can fully recover and so that we don’t push him too early. A date for him is like Siya now.
“We are looking at Argentina, or the Wales or New Zealand Test matches (in August on the 6th, 19th and 25th). He is not part of the Rugby Championship.”
The confirmed loss of Pollard is arguably a minor set-back as it gives the Bok think-tank a much clearer picture regarding their planning for the Rugby Championship and how they will manage the impending squad split that will occur next week.
It is then that around 13 players and a handful of support staff, according to Erasmus, will depart for New Zealand to prepare for the All Black clash on July 15, while the bulk of the squad remains in the capital. Their two preferred replacements at pivot – Willemse and Libbok – are also in a purple patch right now, while veteran Jantjies understands the setup.
With Erasmus clarifying that: “It has always been about whether Damian will be ready for the first game against Australia, and you can infer that he will be involved in that game,” it then remains to be seen whom of Libbok or Jantjies will be popped onto the most convenient and next available flight to the Land of the Long White Cloud.
Jantjies is unequivocally the fourth choice No.10, so it is not inconceivable that the 32-year-old will act as back-up to Willemse next week as the Boks prepare to face an Eddie Jones-inspired Wallabies team. Moreover, despite the disruption of Pollard’s continued stint on the side-lines, Nienaber mused pragmatically that the team’s established constitution allows for any of the would-be starting No.10s to express themselves.
“In terms of a game plan or strategy, we have a framework that we put out there,” said Nienaber.
“They (the players) must bring their own individuality into that. Handré has a certain style that he brings to the game, as does Manie.
“Manie can’t be Handré, and Handré can’t be Manie. Damian can’t be Manie and he can’t be Handré.
“Everybody has got their own personality, their own style and their own skillset which makes them different.
“The framework was never there to push them into a specific way or style.
“They must always bring their own characteristics out into our game plan.”
Other than the immediate injury concern of Pollard, the Boks revealed quite confidently that the rest of the squad has recovered.
That includes the likes of Jaden Hendrikse and Eben Etzebeth, who it would not be unfair to speculate, could be two members of the squad that find themselves watching the Wallabies clash at Loftus next weekend at 3am on Sunday morning in New Zealand.
@FreemanZAR