Pollard: It is worse than expected

BREAKING NEWS: Montpellier has provided an update on Handre Pollard after the Springbok star sustained a serious knee injury on club duty last week.

World Cup winner Pollard will miss this year’s re-scheduled Rugby Championship after his side Montpellier on Monday ruled him out for “many months” with a knee ligament tear.

South Africa’s Pollard, 26, who lifted the Webb Ellis trophy last November, suffered the serious knee injury in last weekend’s Top 14 defeat at Montpellier.

“Following last Friday’s match against Racing 92 at La Paris defence Arena, the club confirm Handre Pollard’s absence for many months after tearing an anterior cruciate ligament,” the French outfit said.

“We wish him a prompt recovery,” they added.

The Springboks are set to start the defence of the Rugby Championship, moved from mid-year due to the coronavirus pandemic, by facing Argentina on November 7 with the tournament ending on December 12.

The Lions’ Elton Jantjies and the Stormers’ Damian Willemse were Pollard’s back-ups at last year’s World Cup in Japan.

The world champions are already dealing with the loss of locks Rudolph Snyman, Eben Etzebeth and Lodewyk de Jager to injury, significantly denting the line-out firepower that dominated the World Cup.

Snyman (anterior cruciate ligament damage) and De Jager (shoulder) will also miss the Championship.

Etzebeth mat recover in time from his rib injury to join the Boks in Australia.