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Pollard ahead of schedule in recovery from knee injury

Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

Springbok flyhalf Handre Pollard has shared some positive news regarding his knee injury.

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The World Cup-winning flyhalf sustained a knee injury during the Springboks’ Rugby Championship campaign, which was reported to keep him on the sidelines for a lengthy period.

Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber suggested that it was unlikely that Pollard would be available for the Springboks’ November Tests tour.

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However, the Bok underwent further assessment at Leicester Tigers and is reportedly in line to make his Premiership debut sooner than expected.

Pollard was a travelling reserve with the English side for Saturday’s East Midlands derby victory over Northampton Saints.

“The body is good,” Pollard told the Leicestershire Live.

“I am really coming along nicely. [I’m] Just trying to get as much done as possible. I’ve still got a couple of boxes to tick, from the initial diagnosis we had in Australia, I’ve come back to London and got a different one, which was a lot more positive.

“I’m working hard, it’s really feeling good, so we will see how we go on from here.”

Leicestershire Live also reported that Pollard’s appearance at Franklin’s Gardens erased any fears that he’d suffered a recurrence of his ACL rupture suffered during his time playing at Montpellier in France.

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“This is completely different,” Pollard said.

“It’s a little bit of a tear in the meniscus. It’s a lot better than we originally thought and it’s going really well.

“We’re still taking it day by day. We’ve still got a couple of boxes to tick but I am very excited and optimistic.”

He added: “I should be good to go for the end-of-year series.”

The Springboks are scheduled to play Tests against Ireland, France, Italy and England, as well as two-midweek games.

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Source: LeicestershireLive

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GrahamVF 1 hour ago
Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

"has SA actually EVER helped to develop another union to maturity like NZ has with Japan," yes - Argentina. You obviously don't know the history of Argentinian rugby. SA were touring there on long development tours in the 1950's

We continued the Junior Bok tours to the Argentine through to the early 70's

My coach at Grey High was Giepie Wentzel who toured Argentine as a fly half. He told me about how every Argentinian rugby club has pictures of Van Heerden and Danie Craven on prominent display. Yes we have developed a nation far more than NZ has done for Japan. And BTW Sa players were playing and coaching in Japan long before the Kiwis arrived. Fourie du Preez and many others were playing there 15 years ago.


"Isaac Van Heerden's reputation as an innovative coach had spread to Argentina, and he was invited to Buenos Aires to help the Pumas prepare for their first visit to South Africa in 1965.[1][2] Despite Argentina faring badly in this tour,[2] it was the start of a long and happy relationship between Van Heerden and the Pumas. Izak van Heerden took leave from his teaching post in Durban, relocated to Argentina, learnt fluent Spanish, and would revolutionise Argentine play in the late 1960s, laying the way open for great players such as Hugo Porta.[1][2] Van Heerden virtually invented the "tight loose" form of play, an area in which the Argentines would come to excel, and which would become a hallmark of their playing style. The Pumas repaid the initial debt, by beating the Junior Springboks at Ellis Park, and emerged as one of the better modern rugby nations, thanks largely to the talents of this Durban schoolmaster.[1]"


After the promise made by Junior Springbok manager JF Louw at the end of a 12-game tour to Argentina in 1959 – ‘I will do everything to ensure we invite you to tour our country’ – there were concerns about the strength of Argentinian rugby. South African Rugby Board president Danie Craven sent coach Izak van Heerden to help the Pumas prepare and they repaid the favour by beating the Junior Springboks at Ellis Park.

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