Dan Carter explains why Pollard is a 'huge loss' for Springboks
SPOTLIGHT: All Black legend Dan Carter believes Handre Pollard’s experience will be sorely missed in the Springbok squad during the World Cup.
Pollard, who helped the Boks win the Webb Ellis Cup in Japan in 2019, was left out of South Africa’s squad for the event due to a calf injury.
He has since returned to his club, Leicester Tigers, in England and he is involved in full training. However, he is on the standby list should there be any injuries in the Bok camp.
In an interview with SportsJOE, Carter was asked to name some of the best flyhalves to watch at the tournament and the former playmaker started by mentioning players who are currently not going to be involved.
“Oh, Jeez, I went straight to, not because I think he’s the best flyhalf, but, obviously, because of what Romain Ntamack is going through at the moment,” Carter told SportsJOE.
“Having such a serious injury right leading into a World Cup game is devastating. His form for Toulouse has been incredible. His combination with Antoine Dupont has been amazing. So really sad to see him go.
“Also, Handré Pollard – you know that he’s going to perform in big moments in the World Cup [knock-out] games. So, he’s a huge loss, for the Springboks to not have him there, because he would have learned so much from 2015, you know, when he played in his first World Cup and then obviously turned things around and really drove the Springboks to victory in 2019.
“So, he’s a huge, huge loss. A couple of the top ones are not going to be there.”
Carter believes Johnny Sexton will be vital to Ireland’s chances of being successful at this year’s event.
“The way that he’s evolved his game, it’s similar to myself,” said Carter.
“He’s not gonna be scoring tries from 50 metres out, you know, beating five or six defenders to score the match-winning try. But his ability to control the game and influence the game has been huge for Ireland over the last few years and the big reason why they’ve been so successful is because of his game management and the way he directs the team around the field.
“He’s such a pivotal, influential player.
“So, hopefully, you know, he can find some form and get back from his injury and the setbacks that he’s had recently because he’s a big part of that squad.”
Carter also thinks the All Blacks have the firepower in the No.10 jersey to give opposing teams plenty of problems.
“Oh, Richie Mo’unga. Jeez, he can light it up.
“We just need the All Black forward pack to really be dominant,” Carter explained.
“If you can give him good go-forward ball, he can rip any team up, at any time. His combination with Beauden Barrett is a really important one, in terms of the game plan that they’re trying to play. If you give him some front-foot ball, his skillset can turn any team around.”
Source: SportsJOE
