Nick Mallett: Omission of Handre Pollard doesn’t make sense

When Springboks coach Jacques Nienaber named his 33-man World Cup squad on Tuesday, the omission of veteran flyhalf Handre Pollard came as a complete shock.

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Pollard (calf), Lukhanyo Am (knee) and Lood de Jager (chest problem) were all said to have been placed on standby with six other players, but were not deemed ready for inclusion in the original travelling group.

Pollard has been on the sidelines with a calf injury since joining the team in June and will continue to work with the Bok medical team to return to full fitness. However, despite nearing the end of his rehabilitation, he was excluded from the squad.

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In his column for Media24, former Springbok coach Nick Mallett has echoed the sentiments of many by suggesting the non-selection was ‘strange’.

“It’s almost inconceivable that they will leave Pollard out of this World Cup squad. The fact that he’s practicing and training with the team at the moment means that he’s obviously getting over his injury. Apparently, he was running freely.

“They say he’s got to get through the Test match protocols, but surely he could have done that over the next three weeks, prior to the Wales game or prior to the game against New Zealand? It’s strange that Pollard is not included. There are examples of other players who are injured and were included.”

POLLARD WAS THE BIG SHOCK OMISSION FROM THE SPRINGBOK RUGBY WORLD CUP SQUAD:

FORWARDS:

Props: Steven Kitshoff (Ulster – 74 caps, 10 points), Vincent Koch (Cell C Sharks – 45 caps, 0 points), Frans Malherbe (DHL Stormers – 61 caps, 5 points), Ox Nche (Cell C Sharks – 19 caps, 0 points), Trevor Nyakane (Racing 92 – 61 caps, 5 points).

Hookers: Bongi Mbonambi (Cell C Sharks – 60 caps, 60 points), Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears – 61 caps, 75 points).

Locks: Eben Etzebeth (Cell C Sharks – 112 caps, 25 points), Jean Kleyn (Munster – 2 caps, 0 points), Marvin Orie (Perpignan – 14 caps, 0 points), RG Snyman (Munster – 26 caps, 5 points).

Loose Forwards: Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz – 69 caps, 30 points), Siya Kolisi (captain – Racing 92 – 75 caps, 45 points), Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs – 33 caps, 25 points), Marco van Staden (Vodacom Bulls – 12 caps, 0 points), Duane Vermeulen (SA Rugby – 68 caps, 15 points), Jasper Wiese (Leicester – 22 caps, 5 points).

Utility Forwards: Deon Fourie (DHL Stormers – 7 caps, 0 points), Franco Mostert (Honda Heat – 65 caps, 15 points).

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BACKS:

Scrumhalves: Faf de Klerk (Canon Eagles – 48 caps, 44 points), Jaden Hendrikse (Cell C Sharks – 12 caps, 12 points), Cobus Reinach (Montpelllier – 25 caps, 45 points), Grant Williams (Cell C Sharks – 4 caps, 0 points).

Flyhalves: Manie Libbok (DHL Stormers – 7 caps, 45 points), Damian Willemse (DHL Stormers – 31 caps, 36 points).

Centres: Damian de Allende (Panasonic Wild Knights – 72 caps, 50 points), Andre Esterhuizen (Harlequins – 13 caps, 0 points), Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles – 61 caps, 60 points).

Outside Backs: Kurt-Lee Arendse (Vodacom Bulls – 9 caps, 50 points), Cheslin Kolbe (Suntory Sungoliath – 25 caps, 81 points), Willie le Roux (Vodacom Bulls – 86 caps, 65 points), Makazole Mapimpi (Cell C Sharks – 38 caps, 115 points), Canan Moodie (Vodacom Bulls – 6 caps, 10 points).

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