Pollard back for Boks against Tonga

Toulon — Handrè Pollard will make his first Test appearance in 13 months when the Springboks play Tonga in their Rugby World Cup clash in Marseille on Sunday.

As expected he will see game time after a long stint on the sidelines as the Springboks hope to bounce back into contention in pool B after their defeat to Ireland in Paris last weekend.

Coach Jacques Nienaber’s selections strike a balance between experienced players who saw action against Ireland but who are still getting up to speed after recent injury and those who performed out of their socks in the 76-0 victory over Romania.

It is perhaps also a sign the Boks know they cannot slip up against Tonga that lock Eben Etzebeth and captain Siya Kolisi were named in the starting line-up. In their selections the Boks had to be cognisant of the 13-day break between their last pool match on Sunday and their potential quarterfinal on October 14.

Interestingly Duane Vermeulen will see game time in the No 7 jersey while Jasper Wiese gets another go at No 8. Sunday’s Test will be Vermeulen’s 73rd and it will only be the third time he starts in the No 7 jersey.

The Bok back row looked a little out of sync against Ireland, with the breakdown likely to invite much of their revision this week. There is likely to be much prematch speculation about Vermeulen’s partnership with Wiese and Kolisi this weekend.

Scrumhalf Cobus Reinach and wings Grant Williams and Makazole Mapimpi, who all delivered electrifying performances against Romania, are back in the starting line-up.

Tighthead prop Vincent Koch, who suffered a mishap in the minutes before the Bordeaux Test and had to withdraw, is back in the starting team.

The bench, the rest of the rugby world will be relieved to know, has a rather conventional five/three split. Jaden Hendrikse, Jesse Kriel and Manie Libbok are the backs on the bench but it is Pollard’s return that will generate much interest, especially on the goal kicking front.

It is an area in which they’ve been off the mark of late but Pollard, the third-highest scorer in Springbok history with 665 points, is seen as the man who could sooth their pain in that department.

“This is a strong and physical team, which is exactly what we need against a side like Tonga that plays with passion and force,” Nienaber said.

“Each one of us understands the importance of this match with an eye on qualifying for the quarterfinal, so accurate execution, physicality and doing our basics right will be vital to get the desired result.”

Nienaber expects a major physical challenge from Tonga.

“They will enter with the mindset that they have nothing to lose after going down in their opening two matches of the tournament, so they won’t hold back.

“They had impressive moments in their games against Scotland and Ireland, so this will require a full 80-minute effort. The emphasis for us will be on doing what we need to do to progress out of the pool stages and to bounce back from last week and build momentum.

“We are still in the World Cup, and we know we have the players and skills to defend our title. We now need to transfer all the hard work at training into producing a top quality performance.”

Springbok team to play Tonga: Willie le Roux; Grant Williams, Canan Moodie, André Esterhuizen, Makazole Mapimpi; Handré Pollard, Cobus Reinach; Jasper Wiese, Duane Vermeulen, Siya Kolisi (capt); Marvin Orie, Eben Etzebeth; Vincent Koch, Deon Fourie, Ox Nche.

Substitutes: Marco van Staden, Steven Kitshoff, Trevor Nyakane, Franco Mostert, Kwagga Smith; Jaden Hendrikse, Jesse Kriel, Manie Libbok.