Handre Pollard's departure from South African rugby will hopefully see him realise his potential
The announcement confirming Bulls flyhalf Handre Pollard has signed a three-year deal with Top 14 club Montpellier brings to an end a 6-year career in South Africa. While his Springbok career will continue, his domestic career will not, ending his time at the Bulls for the foreseeable future.
For a long time, Pollard symbolised the hope of South Africa’s next generation. As a member of three under-20 World Championships, a fresh-faced Pollard piloted the Junior Boks to a maiden under-20 title in front of a home crowd in 2012. The Western Cape junior slotted a 45-metre drop goal to push his side out to a 4-point lead at Newlands before a Jan Serfontein try sent the crowd into raptures with a defining 22-16 victory over New Zealand.
The Junior Boks would go on to win four straight under-20 fixtures over New Zealand during Pollard’s three campaigns, including a pool stage win and a semi-final win over New Zealand in the Baby Blacks’ own backyard in 2014.
Often such a young player at the beginning of his career remains relatively unknown outside of his own country, but Pollard was a rare exception and certainly had caught the attention of rugby fans in New Zealand after becoming the leader of a side that consistently tormented the Baby Blacks.
Thoughts were forming that this flyhalf could become the greatest Springbok 10 ever seen. As ridiculous as that assertion could be, there were things about Pollard’s game that aren’t typically found in South African flyhalves that appealed to the New Zealand public who were wowed by his under-20 showings.
He showed the kind of creativity and vision that special playmakers possess, the ability to see opportunities others can’t, the confidence to take them and the skills to make it happen.
The kind of talent that is certainly revered and held in high-regard in New Zealand, which sees the likes of Beauden Barrett, Damian McKenzie and Richie Mo’unga as highly valued assets where other countries fear their risk-taking tendencies.
He was thrust into Heyneke Meyer’s Springboks side as a 20-year-old and immediately took to test rugby as the anointed 10 during the Rugby Championship. In his sixth test, and first on home soil against the All Blacks, he scored two tries taking on the line without fear.
His first try was scored gliding through Joe Moody and Sam Whitelock using speed to beat the prop on the outside while his second was a charge directly at Aaron Smith pressuring Richie McCaw’s inside cover off a wheeled scrum. He barreled over in the arms of the All Black legend.
The Springboks secured a 27-25 win on a long-range Pat Lambie penalty, which ended a 22-match winning streak for the All Blacks and propelled Pollard to stardom. He became central to the Springboks 2015 Rugby World Cup plans and came a whisker away from a World Cup final.
Since that rocket-fuelled start, this World Cup cycle hasn’t seen Pollard’s career continue that trajectory.
South African rugby has undergone structural changes with transformation targets and a disastrous fall under Alistair Coetzee. His career stalled in 2016 with a long-term injury layoff while the Bulls tried to re-build under the guidance of John Mitchell’s corporate management-style leadership in 2018.
At the same time, the game changed with improved levels of conditioning tightening up defences, forcing attacking play to become far more detailed and organised to create space, foreign to the traditional Springbok way.
South African and Australian rugby got left behind to some extent, with both countries experiencing dramatic falls in the world rankings. The Springboks last win over the All Blacks before last year’s thriller in Wellington was that tight 2014 finish in Johannesburg.
Pollard’s ability is unquestionable but he is not heading to Montpellier as the finished product. South African rugby has failed to unlock Pollard’s full potential since the last World Cup. The only title-winning coach he has had time under was a brief dalliance at the Springboks with the architect of the first Bulls dynasty, Heyneke Meyer, from 2014-15.
With Rassie Erasmus’ grand changes to selection policy, Pollard is not lost to the Springboks. However, the next phase of his development will be overseen by a French club that will certainly demand a return on their investment, a different kind of pressure Pollard will face. The resources at Montpellier are far better than those at the Bulls, but the club is also going through struggles.
They finished third on the league table in 2017 and first overall in 2018 before being eventual runners-up but this year dropped to seventh in Top 14 and failed to qualify for next year’s Champions Cup. They lost attack coach Scott Wisemantel to England’s staff before this season while head coach Vern Cotter has now been moved into an oversight role as a Director of Rugby with La Rochelle’s assistant coach Xavier Garbajosa coming in as his replacement on a four-year contract. Aaron Cruden also remains contracted for another season as well as Johan Goosen, which seems like an overcrowded positional group as it stands.
Although Pollard’s new environment may have some degree of uncertainty, the change of scenery will perhaps also see him grow off the pitch, offering a different perspective on the game and life outside of South Africa. The success of overseas-based players like Faf de Klerk, Willie le Roux and Cheslin Kolbe proves that Europe can elevate the play of South African players.
The current conversation for the world’s best 10 includes Beauden Barrett, Richie Mo’unga, Jonathan Sexton and Owen Farrell. If Pollard is to realise his potential and be in that conversation by the next World Cup, he needs to go somewhere different. With a number of other Springbok departures confirmed for the Bulls, staying would only bring more frustration as a complete re-build of the roster is required.
Time will tell whether Montpellier is the right destination, but the change is necessary even if it hurts the Bulls and their fans to see him go.
Comments on RugbyPass
No Islam says it must rule where it stands Thus it is to be deleted from this planet Earth
18 Go to commentsThis team probably does not beat the ABs sadly Not sure if BPA will be available given his signing for Force but has to enter consideration. Very strong possibility of getting schooled by the AB props. Advantage AB. Rodda/Skelton would be a tasty locking combination - would love to see how they get on. Advantage Wallabies. Backrow a risk of getting out hustled and outmuscled by ABs. Will be interesting to see if the Blues feast on the Reds this weekend the way they did the Brumbies we are in big trouble at the breakdown. Great energy, running and defence but goalkicking/general kicking/passing quality in the halves bothers me enormously. SA may have won the World Cup for a lot of the tournament without a recognised goalkicker but Pollard in the final made a difference IMO. Injuries and retirements leave AB stocks a bit lighter but still stronger. 12 and 13 ABs shade it (Barret > Paisami, Ione = Ikitau, arguably) Interesting clash of styles on the wings - Corey Toole running around Caleb Clark and Caleb running over the top of Toole. Reece vs Koro probably the reverse. Pretty even IMO. 15s Kelleway = Love See advantage to ABs man for man, but we are not obviously getting slaughtered anywhere which makes a nice change. Think talent wise we are pretty even and if our cohesion and teamwork is better than the ABs then its just about doable.
11 Go to commentsCompletely agree. More friday night games would be a hit. RFU to make sure every club has a floodlit pitch. Club opens again Saturday to welcome touch / tag. Minis and youths on Sunday
3 Go to comments1.97m and 105Kg? Proportionately, probably skinnier than me at 1.82 and 82kilos. He won’t survive against the big guys at that weight.
55 Go to commentsThe value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
5 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
11 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
54 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
11 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
54 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
5 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
54 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
55 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
54 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
54 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
18 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. All the Kiwis sticking up for this unprincipled individual because they can't accept justified criticism, he has zero credibility or integrity. Those praising him are a joke.
18 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
54 Go to comments