'Springboks come first': Pollard embraces leadership amid flyhalf competition

Leicester Tigers take on the Sharks in the Investec Champions Cup on Saturday with the double Rugby World Cup winner set to return at pivot.

Pollard missed the defeat to Bordeaux-Begles as head coach Michael Cheika rotated his squad, but the South Africa star will start in the clash at Mattioli Woods Welford Road and will look to get one over his fly-half rivals.

Although he will not be directly opposite Boks team-mate Jordan Hendrikse in the Champions Cup, with Siya Masuku in the key decision-making role, the playmaker has been named in the XV at full-back.

Masuku is himself someone that is interesting head coach Rassie Erasmus and could well be in the frame going forward, but it was Hendrikse who got a shot for the Boks in 2024.

Erasmus has handed the 23-year-old a start on two occasions, both against Wales, as he looks to build depth ahead of the next Rugby World Cup.

"Jordan's developing very quickly," Pollard told The Times. "He's got a great head on his shoulders, he's an all-round player, he's got a bit of everything, really.

"Now it's building up that experience, he's got a great future ahead of him."

Pollard remains a vital part of the squad but he understands that his role has changed slightly due to the emergence of some talented young 10s, which includes Hendrikse.

While the 30-year-old started a number of matches for the Boks in 2024, he was not an automatic pick for the big games as he split it with Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Manie Libbok.

"There's a bigger picture, the Springboks always comes first," Pollard said. "We all try to get the best out of each other. The young [10s] have been great, they want to learn, they ask questions and if we have something to offer, that's great.

"But we learn a lot from them as well. They grew up in a different era and see the game differently, so it's good for us older guys to see that from them as well. It goes both ways."

Pollard is potentially in his final season at Leicester with reports linking him with a move away from Welford Road.

It is claimed that Japan is the likely destination, but the fly-half insists that he is not sure where he will be playing in 2025/26.

The playmaker is well-travelled having spent three years at Montpellier before joining up with the Tigers and it is something the 30-year-old enjoys as he adapts to the various styles of rugby.

"It's very different. In the Top 14, you're playing against massive human beings every week, freaks of nature everywhere, but also the style of rugby is a bit looser, a bit more joué, as they say in France," the two-time World Cup winner said.

"The Premiership is a bit more structured, it's harder to unlock defences, it's very well organised and takes a bit more creativity.

"And the weather influences the way you play for three to four months of the year. Playing in the Champions Cup, we go to France one week and face a South African team the next, with all the adjustments you have to make. It keeps things interesting, I love that sort of challenge."

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