Morne Steyn of Stade Francais passes the ball during the Eurpean Rugby Champions Cup match between Leicester Tigers and Stade Francais at Welford Road on November 13, 2015 in Leicester, England. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)
Morne Steyn has simple but sage advice for Handre Pollard’s adventure in France: spend time practicing that accent!
The 35-year-old veteran will return to the Bulls after six years with Stade Francais in an unexpected if heartening reunion of sorts.
Capped 66 times for the Springboks, Steyn scored 736 international points and is intimately familiar with the pressures that come with having a high profile at flyhalf.
Pollard is under particular pressure given that his deal with Montpellier will make him one of the highest earners in world rugby.
Handre Pollard of South Africa kicks a penalty during the Rugby World Cup 2019 Final between England and South Africa at International Stadium Yokohama on November 02, 2019 in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
“The language is a big challenge so the more effort you put into that the easier it will come,” said Steyn succinctly.
He leaves the French capital at a difficult time, with former Bok mentor Heyneke Meyer having only masterminded two wins out of nine to date this season
“Not everyone is on the same page. Everyone is not following the same things we want to do. That’s the main reason,” Steyn said after Sunday’s derby defeat to Racing 92.
It was a different case with the Springbok squad who lifted the Rugby World Cup in Japan earlier this month.
“All their arrows are in one direction. If someone makes a mistake, the other guys is fixing it for him,” said Steyn.
“You can see the vibe of the team has been great and everybody is playing for each other. I feel here at Stade Francais is not the same.”
Meyer will certainly miss one of his true confidantes.
He has known Steyn since he was a teenager having worked with him at the Bulls, where they won a Super Rugby title, and with the Springboks before the 52-year-old joined the French capital city outfit in 2018.
“Morne is a warrior. He played so many Test matches just from hard work. He’s an inspiration to players, to me,” Meyer said.
“He will help the young fly-halves there in South Africa and he’ll help the backs. Super Rugby is a little bit quicker but he’s still fit enough. He’s definitely going to help them.”
Steyn, who lifted the Top 14 and the European Challenge Cup during his time with Stade, said he plans to retire after his second spell with the Pretoria-based franchise.
“I wanted to stay in Paris for another year or two but I couldn’t. I had the opportunity to go back to the Bulls, it’s great. I started there so I would like to finish my career there,” he said.
“I’m looking forward to having a different role. Be a bit of a coach to the young guys. Hopefully I can bring a different vibe to the team and enjoy the last two or three years of rugby,”
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