Rassie Erasmus defends Bok star after 'worst player on the pitch' jibe

Rassie Erasmus has dismissed criticism of experienced outside half Handré Pollard after the 32-year-old struggled in the URC playoffs for the Bulls, which saw them lose 36-7 in the final to Leinster.

His support is timely given the flak aimed his way by former Irish star and now leading pundit Simon Zebo, who stated after the final: “Pollard, a World Cup winner. He’s been the worst player on the pitch. Canan Moodie, you could say the same thing about him. You rely on your best players to step up in big games. They have been nothing short of horrible.”

Quan Horn was given the Springbok No 10 jersey for Saturday’s 80-31 victory over the Barbarians, with Vusi Moyo making an impact off the bench. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu is currently sidelined by injury, but he is expected to return to fitness in time for the series against the All Blacks in August and September.

However, Erasmus told South African media ahead of the opening Nations Championship test with England on July 4: “Handré didn’t exactly set the world alight for the Bulls, but he has never let us down. A lot of people are talking, but we know what Handré can do.

“It’s difficult to point fingers at someone while he’s playing for his franchise and you haven’t worked with him for a while. You don’t have a full view of the environment. Why would he suddenly become a poor player? Is there an injury? No, there isn’t, so perhaps he’s just had a week or two where he wasn’t exceptional.”

Horn was at fault for an early Baabaas try, but Erasmus was happy with the player’s overall showing and said: “Funnily enough, one of Quan’s strengths is his defence and the first try was a guy who ran over him. We obviously conceded a try there.

“The nice thing was it didn’t take him off his focus. In the game, he certainly had some wonderful passes, creating tries for the guys and kicking well to touch. This is what this game was for: To sort out a few problems and get some answers. Overall, I thought he did really well… I am happy with Quan.”