‘I’m not that old,’ says Handre Pollard ahead of Argentina Test

Springbok flyhalf general Handre Pollard says he isn’t that old and is still learning, as an exciting young crop of players come through the Bok system as they build towards the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.

Pollard was speaking ahead of the Boks’ Rugby Championship match against Argentina in Santiago on Saturday, where he will be leading the line from pivot, which he has done regularly over the past six years in helping the Boks win two World Cup titles.

However, it has been a slightly different start to the current cycle for Pollard, with him taking a more back seat role due to the rise of exciting young talent Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.

While Pollard started in both Irish Tests, and in the Boks’ most recent win over the All Blacks, he has largely played off the bench in the other matches this season, and he was asked this week whether he was settling into a new role as a mentor in the squad.

“I’m not that old, hey. But listen, it’s fun. These guys are so exciting and eager to learn which is nice, and just like when we were young, (older) guys helped us. So it’s not about mentoring them,” said Pollard, who turned 30 in March.

“The good thing is that there is healthy competition in the group in every single position, which is nice. But we all have got the same goal and it is always bigger than the individual.

“If we can help the young guys with one or two things then great. But we (older guys) are certainly learning a lot from them as well. You always have to try and develop, stay fresh and try new things, and new guys bring that. So it’s enjoyable, it’s competitive and it’s just really good.”

Better space

Pollard also explained that the team was in a much better place this World Cup cycle than in the previous one as they have more time to prepare and grow, after they missed out on an entire year of international rugby in 2020 due to Covid.

“This time round it’s special because we have our whole four-year cycle (to prepare for the next World Cup),” admitted Pollard.

“Last time after the World Cup (in 2019) we missed out on those first couple of years, and I think those first two years are where you really build, experiment and try new things, and you can see this now in our game with the new guys like Tony (Brown) and Jerry (Flannery) coming in.

“It’s really exciting and it brings a new challenge every week, so we are just taking it week by week, but we know there is a bigger plan going forward.

“Honestly, to play with these young guys coming through these days (is great), and with the older dogs still here it’s just a really good blend and it really excites us because we are in a good place. But we always want more, we always want to be better and go up a level, so that is what we are building towards.”