Game of two (fly)halves: Johan Goosen welcomes Handré Pollard back to the Bulls

Star flyhalf Johan Goosen said the Bulls have made a “great signing” in luring Springbok flyhalf Handré Pollard back to the Pretoria union.

Double World Cup winner Pollard joins the Bulls in July on a two-year deal after spending the last three seasons at English outfit Leicester Tigers.

Goosen and Pollard are both aces with the boot – perhaps the two best South African goal-kickers who will be playing in the country next season.

They will be competing for the starting number 10 jersey at the Bulls. They played together at Montpellier from 2019 to 2021 (Pollard staying a year longer, until 2022). During that time they both started most of the games they played in, meaning when one started the other was either injured or rested.

A couple of stars

“I’ve played with Polly at Montpellier for three seasons,” Goosen told media on Tuesday. “He’s won two World Cups, a good player, a great signing for the Bulls. It’s a positive for the Bulls.

“In terms of my contract, I’ve still got one more season left at the Bulls so I’m taking it day by day and being the best I can for the team.”

Pollard, 31, is the more well-known and successful of the two, having played at the Springboks since 2014 after captaining South Africa’s Junior Springboks (U20) side.

In 2019, Pollard was nominated for the World Rugby Player of the Year award after helping the side win the World Cup. He finished top points scorer in the global showpiece with 69 points to his name.

He also slotted all nine of his attempts at goal in the 2023 Rugby World Cup, scoring all 12 of South Africa’s points through penalties in the final against New Zealand.

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Goosen recovers from another injury layoff

Goosen made his Springbok debut at the age of 20 in 2012 but he has been beset with injuries and has not found the stardom he did in his early days. His last Test cap came in 2016 and he has not been on the national radar much since then.

Still, he’s been sensational in club rugby, scoring 145 Super Rugby points for the Cheetahs in one season, winning the Top 14 with Racing 92 in France and winning the United Rugby Championship Golden Boot in the 2022-23 season.

Goosen returned to the Bulls in 2021 after six seasons in France and has become a mainstay in the squad when not injured.

Now at 32 – only a year older than Pollard – Goosen is still working off a long-term knee injury. He came off the bench in the 65th minute against Bayonne last week to score a penalty kick and a conversion.

He told media he is still slightly sore after sustaining the injury in January, undergoing surgery and physiotherapy since then.

“I’m old,” Goosen joked at first before getting serious. “My knee is getting there. They are managing it quite well, with the training sessions and the physios. I think in a week or two hopefully the pain will be better and I will be fine.”