South Africa called up flyhalf Handre Pollard to replace injured hooker Malcolm Marx at the Rugby World Cup on Sunday, leaving the Springboks with a front-row gamble for their title defense in France.
While Pollard’s addition gives South Africa the No. 10 who guided it to World Cup victory four years ago, there is just one specialist hooker in the squad in Bongi Mbonambi.
Instead of calling another front-rower in after Marx’s tournament-ending knee injury, Springboks coach Jacques Nienaber said he was confident he would be able to lean on two loose forwards in Deon Fourie and Marco van Staden to step in as hookers for the rest of the tournament.
Both of them have played in that position previously in their careers, but both came to the World Cup as flankers.
Fourie came off the bench to replace Mbonambi at hooker in South Africa’s 76-0 win over underdog Romania at the World Cup earlier Sunday in Bordeaux. Van Staden, who started the game as a flanker, also spent some of the final minutes in the hooker position.
But they will face a different test in South Africa’s next pool game next weekend against top-ranked Ireland, one of the favorites for the title. The game is a meeting of the top two teams in the world.
The tight forwards are a key part of South Africa’s plan, both starters and the backups that come off the bench to give the world champion the forward power that drives its game.
Fourie and Van Staden spent time training as hookers with the Springboks since February, Nienaber said, to boost the Boks’ versatility for these kinds of moments.
The 36-year-old Fourie scored a try in his World Cup debut against the Romanians. He was the oldest Springboks debutant ever when he played his first test last year aged 35.
Pollard’s return provides vital backup to newcomer Manie Libbok, who was initially the only specialist No. 10 in Nienaber’s Rugby World Cup squad.
Pollard had been struggling with a calf injury and just missed the squad but made a successful return to the field in a game for English club Leicester on Friday night, Nienaber said.
“We’ll work closely with him in the next week to get him back up to speed and back into the full swing of things and we have no doubt he’ll step up to the challenge,” Nienaber said. “He’s been here before so he knows the physical and mental demands of the World Cup.”
The Springboks will move camp to Paris on Monday ahead of the showdown with the Irish at Stade de France next Saturday.
The game will likely decide who wins Pool B but will also be a larger indicator of the title credentials of both teams.
Ireland showed it’s in top form and ready by hammering Tonga 59-16 on Saturday night to take its winning streak to 15 games.
AP
