VIDEO: Who is really in the pound seat for the Bok No.10 jersey?
WATCH as the Boks Office crew share their thoughts on Handre Pollard’s role in the Springbok squad after the rise of Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
Joining the crew in the latest episode is guest Tim Cocker, who is the host of the Eggchasers podcast.
Feinberg-Mngomezulu has enjoyed a meteoric rise this season and he has started in the No.10 jersey in three of the Boks’ four Rugby Championship Tests so far.
He played off the bench in South Africa’s last outing which was an 18-12 victory over the All Blacks with Pollard starting in the pivotal position.
The Boks also have Manie Libbok, who was included in the tour squad for the upcoming Test against Argentina, while Damian Willemse is also an option once he is fit again.
While Feinberg-Mngomezulu is the poster boy for the future of the Springboks, Pollard is still an integral part of Rassie Erasmus’ plans heading to the next World Cup 2027.
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“We are in a privileged position to always have Handre in the mix if we feel like it,” said Bok legend Schalk Burger.
“If you go to Perth and it is wet, you need someone to control it through the boot.
“We saw it in the World Cup semifinal against England. Manie Libbok starts and he got ripped off after 20 so we could play the conditions better with Handre.
“It is all part of what Rassie’s feeling of what it has to be. You used to call it ‘AI’ and now it’s ‘RI’ – ‘Rassie Intelligence’.”
Cocker added: “I’ve watched a lot of Handre Pollard in the Premiership.
“When there is a new player like Sacha, you judge on the potential.
“You think if he is this good now, imagine how he will be in five years and you sort of forget that Handre is a known quantity, and you sort of forget just how good he is.”
Boks Office host Hanyani Shimange provided an example of Pollard’s pedigree on the Test stage.
“You remember in that Ireland game [in Durban] when we were behind?
“Who got us back into that game?
“It was Pollard’s kicking.
“He single-handedly almost won the game for us because he was so good and we needed every single kick to go over.”
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