Handre Pollard on Bulls return: 'I didn't think going back home was possible'
By
SABC Sport
4th April 2025
Springbok flyhalf Handre Pollard admits he never thought returning to South Africa was an option but is delighted that he now has the opportunity to go back home.
It was recently announced that Pollard is set to rejoin the Bulls after spending the last six years abroad.
The 31-year-old started his career in Pretoria in 2014 before leaving the Bulls in 2019 to join Top 14 heavyweights Montpellier. That was followed by a three-year stint with Leicester Tigers after joining the English Premiership outfit in 2022.
When Pollard first made the move abroad, the rugby landscape at club level was a very different one, but the inclusion of South African teams in European tournaments is one of the changes that has helped make his return to South Africa possible.
The Bulls â- along with fellow South African franchises the Lions, Sharks and Stormers â- joined the United Rugby Championship during the 2021/22 campaign before they were also added to the European Champions and Challenge Cup competitions the following season.
"Just being able to go back home is something I actually didn't think was possible," Pollard told BBC Radio Leicester.
"But how things have changed in the last few years with South African teams playing in the URC and being able to play in the Champions Cup whilst being in South Africa was something I'd never seen in my [early] career, but the opportunity is there now."
Pollard was a vital cog in South Africa's recent back-to-back World Cup triumphs and his accurate goal-kicking played an invaluable role when they lifted the Webb Ellis Cup in France in 2023.
Despite his success in the international arena with the Springboks, he is yet to lift a trophy with Leicester Tigers but is hoping to do just that in this year's Investec Champions Cup.
The Tigers are facing Glasgow Warriors at Scotstoun in a round-of-16 clash on Saturday and Pollard admitted he is keen to help his club claim silverware before he moved on.
"I've had the most amazing time abroad. I fell in love with Leicester and it's been an unbelievable experience and I'll miss it one day, for sure," Pollard replied, when asked how he might look back at his time with the Tigers.
"But there's still quite a lot to do, isn't there? There's a few big games to play."
