Springbok coach Rassie to trial Hooker at centre, recall Pollard for Italy clash

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus is set to recall Handre Pollard to the starting line-up for this week’s clash with Italy in Turin.

Further, Erasmus is considering an exciting midfield combination, giving Ethan Hooker a shot at inside centre alongside Canan Moodie.

Pollard, the hero of the 2023 World Cup, has slipped down the flyhalf pecking order this season as the Boks have experimented with the mercurial Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and creative Manie Libbok. Feinberg-Mngomezulu has started the last five Tests, with Libbok closing out matches.

“It is not that Pollard has been discarded, but more that Feinberg-Mngomezulu has been given a run at the highest level,” Erasmus explained, before kick-off at the Stade de France.

“Handre is likely to play against Italy with Manie on the bench — or maybe the other way around. It is good to have the consistency of Handre, a player who knows and understands what he’s doing and is only 31 years old. If you compare him to Johnny Sexton, he could still play two more World Cups.”

Hooker has primarily been playing on the wing for both the Boks and the Sharks, but his preferred position is centre, where he was a schoolboy sensation for Westville Boys’ High in Durban. At the Sharks, his path to No 12 is blocked by the formidable Andre Esterhuizen, while at the Springboks, it is Damian de Allende.

“Maybe we will give Ethan some playing time at 12 with Canan at 13,” Erasmus said.

The coach is also likely to rest some senior players this week, keeping one eye on the tour’s climax against Ireland in Dublin next week. The Boks are keen to reverse recent results against a team that has beaten them in three of the last four encounters.

Yet Erasmus knows better than to tinker too much against a dangerous Italian side, fresh from a win over Australia at the weekend.