A former England and British & Irish Lions star says Handre Pollard is “one of the three top flyhalves to ever play the game”.
Anthony Watson believes Pollard will still be the main man for the Springboks as they navigate the crunch matches at next year’s World Cup in Australia.
Pollard, 31, is a double World Cup winner and started both finals in the Boks’ triumphs over England in 2019 and New Zealand in 2023.
Pollard’s accuracy under pressure proved decisive on both occasions. He scored 22 points in the 32-12 win over England in Yokohama, before slotting all 12 points in the one-point victory over the All Blacks four years later.
Despite that record, the Bulls playmaker’s influence on South African rugby is often underplayed – something Watson finds baffling.
The former England wing played alongside Pollard at the Leicester Tigers and has nothing but admiration for the Bok No 10.
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“My respect for him is unmatched. I’m very privileged to have played with him. He is one of the three top flyhalves to ever play the game, in Owen Farrell and George Ford and Handre. And you could probably throw Finn Russell in there too,” Watson told Grosvenor Sport.
“What makes Handre so special is his calmness. He understands the game obviously inside out. He doesn’t try to pretend to be this maverick who is going to throw the ball and do the maddest things in the game.
“He just plays his game. He says: ‘I know how to win games, I know how to put my team in the right areas to let the best players do what they can do and I’ll facilitate it all and I’ll keep everyone super calm in the process.’ That’s what makes him, him.”
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Pollard featured five times for the Springboks in 2025, starting four matches, but Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu is widely viewed as South Africa’s long-term option at flyhalf after playing 11 Tests last year.
With just under two years to go until the next World Cup, Feinberg-Mngomezulu has moved ahead of Pollard and Manie Libbok in the pecking order.
But Watson insists tournament pedigree still counts for plenty, especially when the pressure is at its highest.
“In terms of where does he sit going into the next World Cup? I would never write him off, it’s impossible to write him off,” Watson added.
“I know that everyone’s talking about Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu. He is a ridiculous talent, and he can do things that people can only dream of. But Handre Pollard, you know what he can do and if the chips are down there’s no one better to have in your corner than him.”
Photo: Shaun Roy/Sportsfile via Getty Images
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