Nailing down No.10
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Springbok flyhalf Pat Lambie has said that there has been a healthy rivalry going on between the four flyhalves that were included in the year-end tour squad.
Handre Pollard, Pat Lambie, Morne Steyn and, to a lesser extent, Johan Goosen have all been vying for the Springboks No.10 jersey this year with coach Heyneke Meyer happy to give each of them a chance.
Veteran flyhalf Steyn seems to have dropped down the pecking order, but the choice between Lambie and Pollard still remains a tightly contested one.
Sharks man Lambie says that there is a 'healthy competition' between him and the young Bulls prodigy that is Handre Pollard.
"There is definitely a healthy competition between us," Lambie said.
However, it is not just Pollard that Lambie is battling against.
"It is great to have Handre [Pollard], Morne [Steyn] and Johan [Goosen] all in the same squad."
"We are friends off the field and we get along very well.
Instead of making the rivalry a bitter one Lambie is looking to his compatriots to learn new things from.
"On the field we push each other and we work well together, it is great to have those players around to learn from and to grow with.
One aspect that Lambie has been focusing on is his ability to take the ball to the line, something that Pollard is well versed at doing.
"It is something that the coach is big on, he likes his flyhalves to take the ball to the line with front foot ball, it is definitely a focus point," Lambie went on
"As a flyhalf you need to be able to play a tactical game as well as take the line on.
"It about knowing when the time is right to do both of those things."
Handre Pollard is famed for his ability to attack the line, this was demonstrated when the young flyhalf scored two tries from first phase ball against the All Blacks at Ellis Park earlier this year.
For Lambie, who is no slouch when it comes to hitting the gain line, it is about fitting into the mould that the coach is looking for in his flyhalves and doing it better than those around him.
"I am lucky to have been given a few opportunities on the year-end tour in the last few years and I have really enjoyed those opportunities," Lambie continued.
"Thankfully they have come my way again this year and I am going to keep enjoying it"
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