‘We must stay real,’ says Nienaber about hype around Pollard

Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber does not want to put any pressure on returning flyhalf Handre Pollard and is just hoping to see a realistic performance from him when the Boks take on Tonga in their final World Cup pool match in Marseille on Sunday.

Pollard has played very little rugby over the past year due to various injuries, last playing for the Boks against the Wallabies last year, while he has only played a few games for his club side Leicester Tigers in that time.

ALSO READ: What Boks need to do against Tonga to secure World Cup quarterfinal spot

High expectations have, however, been placed on him, due to the recent struggles of the Boks’ goal kickers and many fans and pundits are hoping Pollard will be the answer to that, but Nienaber just wants to see him get through the match.

“What do I expect of him? A realistic performance. I think that’s where we must all stay … in the reality of it. He hasn’t played for the Boks in 13 months … he last played in the last week in August 2022 for the Springboks,” explained Nienaber.

“He hasn’t played top-level rugby since the first week in May, which is 19 weeks ago. In saying that, he’s a quality rugby player and we all know that. He’s won a World Cup before, he’s won a British & Irish Lions series before. 

“So he understands what international rugby and top international rugby is about, but I think we must stay real in that and give him time to settle in and get used to the pace of it.”

Wasted opportunities

Although the goal kicking has been the headline worry for the Boks, Nienaber is less concerned with it than the amount of opportunities that the team creates and don’t take, which is a key focus point for them over the rest of the World Cup.

“In the game against Ireland, we had four opportunities within one metre of their goal-line, which we butchered. Four. That, for me, is a much bigger issue that we have to sort out. You can’t get yourself within one metre of Ireland’s try line and then you butcher four opportunities,” said Nienaber.

“In that 13 months that Handre wasn’t available for the Springboks, there were 16 test matches and we won 75 per cent of those.

“Yes, we are not consistent off the tee. But the guys that stepped in, I don’t think they did a bad job.”

Against Tonga the Boks need to pick up a big bonus point win to give themselves the best possible chance of making it into the competition knockouts.

So they will have an interesting choice on their hands on whether to kick to the corner or go for posts to give Pollard some much needed goal kicking practice.