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'Leading 10 in the world' Handre Pollard flies home from Australia
By Online Editors
Flyhalf Handre Pollard, who played a key role in a rare away success for the Bulls in Australia last week, is returning home after injuring his calf and will miss the next three Super Rugby matches.
Team captain Pollard picked up the calf strain in training this week ahead of Friday’s clash against the ACT Brumbies, the Bulls said in a statement on Wednesday.
His return to South Africa means he also misses the last two of the Bulls’ four-match swing through Australia and New Zealand.
They beat the Melbourne Rebels last Friday, with the 25-year-old Pollard kicking 12 points in the 32-17 victory that took the Bulls top of the South African conference.
But he now also misses key matches against Auckland Blues on May 31 and Otago Highlanders on June 7 before the Bulls return home for the last regular season match at home to neighbours the Lions on June 15.
Duane Vermeulen will lead the Bulls in Canberra on Friday while Pollard’s place is taken by 21 -year-old Manie Libbok.
"Handre is probably in the leading 10 in the world at the moment, so to take over from him is not easy, but Manie has done well for us when he took to the field this year and I have the utmost confidence in him this weekend," said Bulls coach Pote Human.
"He is an exciting young talent and we are looking forward to watching him grow. He would not be around if he was not good enough, that is for sure."
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Latest Comments
We can all see this problem, eh? Love the clips showing how smart opposition coaches exploit it though. Thanks, Nick.
Borthwick has obviously earned the right to expect people to look elsewhere when the sort of personal problems likely at the heart of Jones' departure occur but it's hard to believe he's, if not entirely to blame, at least most of the problem.
England seem between choices in every aspect of their play to me right now
Go to commentsBM My rugby fanaticism journey began as a youngster waking up in the early hours of the morning with a cup of coffee to watch the Boks play the ABs on that 1981 rebel tour, where we lost the last game in the dying seconds to a penalty, and ended up losing the series 2-1. Danie Gerber, Naas Botha, Ray Mordt, and DuPlessis, to name a few; what a team! I believe we could've won another World Cup with those boys playing in their prime.
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