Handre Pollard and wife Marise.
Images via Instagram:
@marisepollard/ @bokrugby
Handre Pollard and wife party in London amid renewed hope Springboks return?
Celebrating? Handre Pollard and his wife were seen out with pals in London after Springboks coach Jacques Nienaber renewed hope of his return
Handre Pollard and wife Marise.
Images via Instagram:
@marisepollard/ @bokrugby
According to Springboks coach Jacques Nienaber, Handre Pollard could be ready to play in a few weeks after recovering from an injury. And with the Rugby World Cup just days away, fans have been given renewed hope of his “return”.
The fly half’s lack of play has been a talking point for the public after Nienaber recently revealed that the star player was “fully fit”. Up until now, Pollard has remained benched as “injury cover” after he failed to make the official squad earlier this month.
The World Cup will take place from 8 September to 28 October, with the Springboks playing their first game against Scotland on 10 September.
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OUT AND ABOUT IN LONDON
Ahead of Friday’s match against the All Blacks, Handre Pollard’s wife Marise hinted that she was en route to support the Springboks in London.
Her “London bound” post was liked by multiple national team WAGS, including Rachel Kolisi, Holly Clare Nichol, and Juanri Mostert.
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Following the Springboks defeat of the All Blacks at Twickenham Stadium on Friday, Marise shared pics of her fun night out with her husband and a group of friends.
“A day with our day ones”, she captioned the pics of the group eating, drinking, and sightseeing.
FRESH HOPE FOR HANDRE POLLARD TO MAKE SQUAD?
Meanwhile, it is unclear – for now – if Handre Pollard will travel with the Springboks squad to France ahead of the Rugby World Cup next month.
While “fully fit,” according to coach Jacques Nienaber – the 29-year-old has not officially made the squad, reportedly over an injury rehabilitation.
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However, Nienaber has given fresh hope that Pollard may just make the cut.
According to Rugby Pass journalist Philip Bendon, Handre could play in the next few weeks. Bendon tweeted: “Nienaber was just asked about Handre Pollard. His response was that he would be ready to play 80 minutes in the next couple of weeks”.
Earlier this week, Nienaber told Supersport that Handre Pollard was raring to go if he gets the chance. But that will depend on if a spot becomes available over a player injury, he added.
He told the channel: “Handre is on the edge now of being fully fit; he just needs a lot of fitness work, and he will be ready.
“Let me put it this way: Handre is now on a return-to-play protocol. Which means he is on his way back to being ready to play. I would say he is about a week away from being ready to play. Siya (Kolisi) is past his return to play protocol now, but in his case, it is still qualified in the sense that his workload must be managed like it was this last weekend, where he played 40 minutes.”
