What Handre Pollard's injury means for the Springboks ahead of a challenging international calendar
Handre Pollard’s horrific knee injury is a major blow for the Springboks, who have lost their starting flyhalf and goal kicker ahead of what is shaping to be an Everest-sized challenge to defend their Rugby Championship crown.
The world champions were already dealing with the loss of locks RG Snyman, Eben Etzebeth and Lood de Jager to injury, significantly denting the lineout firepower that dominated the World Cup.
Now they will have to deal with the loss of the goal kicking ace tasked with accumulating so many of the Springboks points.
Uncertainty surrounds what shape the Springboks will be in once the Rugby Championship commences – not just from a depth point of view, but the clear challenges around the level of preparation they will have heading into the competition.
If the Springboks turn up to play, credit should be given for their commitment to the cause to help resume international rugby in the Southern Hemisphere again.
It will not resemble the world champion team many are expecting, and expectations should be adjusted as such.
However, this does not rule out the Springboks completely as the bad injury luck they have been dealt so far isn’t a death knell for their campaign.
It has hurt, but not totally curtailed, their chances of winning games with the same formula they used in Japan.
The 6-2 split on the bench used at the Rugby World Cup shows how much value is put on the flyhalf position by the Springboks that needs to be replaced following Pollard’s injury.
They did not carry a specialist 10 on the bench like most other test sides, instead relying on the utility value of Frans Steyn to plug into any position as required.
This is not an insignificant fact – they were prepared to lose their starter Pollard in a knockout World Cup game and insert a makeshift flyhalf to finish the job.
The only other test sides in the knockout rounds that did not carry a specialist 10 on the bench already had two on the park, England with George Ford and Owen Farrell and New Zealand with Richie Mo’unga and Beauden Barrett.
If one of them was lost, an on-field reshuffle would be made to replace them.
The only backs position the Springboks carried specific insurance for was Faf de Klerk, with specialist 9 Herschel Jantjies providing cover on the bench.
The strategy allowed the Springboks to supercharge their interior defence in phase play and the set piece with basically a second forward pack of six waiting in the wings.
Physical exertion is required for little more than a half of rugby by the starters, allowing for more than maximum effort. If injuries do not set in early, the Springboks gain advantages in the trenches as the game goes on.
Having so much power to use up front naturally shapes how they play with ball in hand.
Most attacking launches are centred around dominant carries from Damian de Allende on the first phase before running forwards around the corner flat off 9 for more power carries.
It is an attack built for bullying a way forward, putting less emphasis on a 10 who directs play and offers creativity in attack.
That means the biggest area of concern with the loss of Pollard is the points production off the tee, but there are multiple ready-made options to cover this.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CFGs6UulxhQ/
A number of the flyhalf options available to South Africa have demonstrated an ability to kick goals at 80 percent or better in Super Rugby.
The latest is Curwin Bosch, who has proven to be a class operator with the full array of abilities at his disposal. He has all the traits of a flyhalf that could dominate the game in the right system that is build around his natural instincts.
Speed, agility and natural decision-making at the line, Bosch is a triple playmaking threat every time he touches the ball.
It’s not what the Springboks need necessarily, but a valuable asset to have all the same, and he has a monstrous boot both out-of-hand and off the tee.
After taking over from Robert du Preez as the Sharks flyhalf, he was able to kick at 83 percent throughout the 2019 Super Rugby season. This dropped to 76 percent this year in a shortened season, but it did so from a lower sample size as a result.
That man Bosch replaced, now at the Sale Sharks, is inconsistent in other areas of the game, but one aspect where he has excelled at in the past is goal kicking.
During the 2018 Super Rugby season, Du Preez was a prolific point scorer, kicking at 86 percent over the season.
This option is intriguing because after stripping away all the areas of concern, Rob du Preez could nail his core responsibility of knocking over penalties and conversions.
With De Klerk in control of the exits and territorial management, Du Preez could do what is needed of him.
Working against him, however, is that AJ MacGinty currently has the start and goal kicking job with Sale, leaving Du Preez without much game time.
Stormers flyhalf-fullback hybrid Damian Willemse in that same 2018 season kicked a tick below 80 percent, but has since handed over the tee to others. He perhaps has the most dangerous running game of all options.
Lions flyhalf Elton Jantjies, who was used at the World Cup as a secondary 10 option, has maintained a 76-78 percent goal kicking rate over the last few seasons, and ran the Lions’ attack into three Super Rugby finals.
As a player with all the tools, Jantjies has proven to be one South Africa’s best-ever 10s at Super Rugby level.
In this system, for this specific role the Springboks require at 10, there are no shortage of options available, even if it means asking them to water down their games to fulfil the role the team needs.
The locking stocks present a more difficult task as losing both the starting options and one of the bench replacements from the World Cup is no short order.
At this point, a likely scenario is that World Rugby Player of the Year Pieter-Steph du Toit is asked to move back into the second row, allowing for another loose forward to join the starting side.
Such as the value du Toit brings, it might be best to make use of his versatility now.
Comments on RugbyPass
Bar 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.
9 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.
35 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.
2 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
35 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 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
35 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.
35 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.
17 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.
17 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.
35 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
35 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
2 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
35 Go to commentsArdie’s preferred position 7? Where do they get these writers from? I've no idea where he's playing in Japan, but the previous two seasons he wore the 7 jersey exactly twice.
18 Go to comments