[LOOK] Bok blow: Pivot Pollard to miss Rugby Championship
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Uit is jy: Bokke flyhalf Handre Pollard, right, is sidelined.Picture credit: Samuel Shivambu
Springbok flyhalf Handre Pollard will miss the hele Rugby Championship with a calf injury, SA’s director of rugby Rassie Erasmus confirmed on Tuesday.
Pollard is one of three flyhalves who were called up to the original South African squad ahead of next week’s Rugby Championship opener against Australia.
But with Pollard and Damian Willemse injured, and leaving Manie Libbok as the only fit flyhalf in the group, the Bok management called up Elton Jantjies as backup to their squad.
South Africa will be without leading first five-eighths Handre Pollard for the #RugbyChampionship https://t.co/xN3aAXQr3m
— Ultimate Rugby (@ultimaterugby) June 28, 2023
And while they were holding thumbs that the regular vice-captain would be back in the tournament also featuring New Zealand and Argentina, Erasmus reveals Pollard will be sidelined for as long as captain Siya Kolisi.
Speaking at a media conference in Pretoria on Tuesday, Erasmus says: “The only real concern who will be touch and go for the Rugby Championship, and then I’m not including the [World Cup warmup] match against Argentina, is Handre [Pollard].”
He adds: “It’s a calf injury which he re-injured it’s an injury he had at Leicester.
“With a re-injury you’re always a bit more nervous, that’s why we have Elton Jantjies here, so he [Pollard] can fully recover and we don’t push him to early.
“To give a date for him, it would be more or less the same as Siya we’re looking at either the match against Argentina, Wales or the New Zealand Test match which is not part of the Rugby Championship.”
There was some good news from the Bok camp, with lock Eben Etzebeth and scrumhalf Jaden Hendrikse recovering from their respective shoulder injuries, while Erasmus also announced that Willemse is “ready to go” ahead of next week’s Test.