Running Pat versus kicking Pollard

 

The Sharks, who picked up their first win last weekend against the Lions thanks to a masterful display from flyhalf Pat Lambie, take on the Bulls who have lost both of their opening games at Loftus.

 

This game will draw many eyes onto the battle between the two flyhalves.

 

There has been much debate and experimentation around the Springboks camp about who should be wearing the No.10 jumper going into the World Cup later this year, With Lambie and Handre Pollard the two major candidates.

 

Rugby fans will now have an opportunity to witness the two youngsters pit it out against each other in what is a must win game for the desperate Bulls.

 

Gold believes that the battle at No.10 will be between two markedly different players, Lambie as a ball in hand running flyhalf, against Pollard as a classical Bulls kicking pivot.

 

"I think Handre [Pollard] is predominantly more of a kicking No.10," Gold told the media on Thursday.

 

"Patrick [Lambie] is more of a running flyhalf – and I don't mean Handre is not a good running No.10, because he was very good at junior levels.

 

"But maybe the brand of rugby being played in Durban, especially since Pat started playing, has meant he is more accustomed to a ball in hand game whereas traditionally, since Handre has been playing in Pretoria, it has been more of a tactical kicking brand."

 

Gold was at pains to explain that he rates Pollard's attacking game very highly, but he believes that the youngster will be put into a kicking role by the Bulls, especially for this game against the Sharks.

 

"The Bulls deserve their reputation as a kicking side," Gold added of his opposition for the weekend.

 

"They do kick a lot and I anticipate them to kick a lot more this week than they have done in the first few rounds. 

 

"Interestingly enough, a stat that we did have a look at was how the Bulls react to balls kicked onto them and I was quiet surprised to see that 50 percent of the time they will actually run the ball back

 

"This is certainly was not the Bulls of old, if you kicked anything on them from their 10-yard line to the tryline that thing was coming straight back.

"That is not necessarily the case in the last couple of weeks… but I am anticipating them to go back to that for us."

 

Gold said there was much hype being made about the battle between the two individuals but what must be remembered, especially for a flyhalf, is how important the rest of the team's support is to the cause.

 

"From our point of view, it is not Pat on his own [against the Lions]," Gold said.

 

"It is about how we support him as a team –  I thought we did very well last week and I thought he delivered.

 

"If we can continue to set that type of a platform with the forwards up front and get that dominance it will make Pat's life a little bit easier, conversely it will make Handre's a little more difficult.