Stand-in Springbok captain Handre Pollard speaks to the press a press conference at the Southern Sun Hotel in Bloemfontein on Friday Stand-in Springbok captain Handre Pollard speaks to the press a press conference at the Southern Sun Hotel in Bloemfontein on Friday. Photo: Shaun Roy/BackpagePix
Durban — Springbok captain Handre Pollard was practically licking his lips when he answered a question on Friday as to how his team will handle the expected roughhouse tactics from Wales in Saturday’s second Test match in Bloemfontein.
Pollard, the 64th man to lead South Africa in a rugby international, said Wales’ premeditated efforts to rile the Boks with off-the-ball niggling in fact plays into the hands of the Boks.
“We know Wales are going to try and get under our skins and into our faces,” Pollard smiled. “They have been very open about it and it was very clear in the first Test match, but this is something we enjoy. They can come at us but we won’t take a step back.”
Pollard’s opposite number, Dan Biggar, was aghast last week when asked about the niggle, saying. “What do you expect? Are we supposed to come to the Springboks’ backyard and just roll over and die?”
And Pollard says he perfectly understands the Welsh approach.
“I get what they are trying to do,” he said. “What is the point of coming here and just letting us have our own way? I understand why they are trying to upset us but we are South Africans and that approach brings out the best in us. We will be up for it and there is no way we are taking a step back.”
Inevitably, Pollard was asked about the criticism that the Boks are a B team, and again he sported a dismissive grin.
“They are welcome to their opinion but we do not see it that way. If you look at the quality of our team, I am not sure who is a B team player. These are guys that earned their places by playing brilliantly for their clubs all season,” he grinned. “This is what we do at the Springboks... We reward people for doing well and it is going to be exciting to see what they can do.”
The big question is how quickly the newcomers can blend as a team, even if they are all star players.
“Last week Monday we already knew this would be the plan so this side trained together all of last week while the team for the first Test was preparing— this has now been our second week of training as a team and there has been a lot more cohesion,” Pollard said. “Of course, there will be disconnection sometimes with guys coming from all over the world, but we are prepared for that.
“And we are going to be bold in the way we play. Yes, we will make mistakes but we have each other’s backs. We have to trust each other’s skill set. We have some unbelievably skillful guys and the game drivers such as myself have to give those guys opportunities to express themselves within our plan.
Pollard will be steering a gifted backline but he said they won’t fall into the trap of trying to do too much too soon with the talents of the likes Kurt-Lee Arendse, Aphelele Fassi, and Warrick Gelant.
“It is unreal to have weapons like that on the outside but recklessly throwing the ball around it is a dangerous trap to fall into,” he cautioned. “It is a Test match and we are playing against a disciplined side, a team that has a great tactical game. We have to do the hard yards first, it is not going to be a big spectacle at first. If it opens up and we can create space for those guys, that would be ideal, but initially, we are going to go the normal route and try and be as physical as we can.”
IOL Sport
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