Baby Bok skipper and recently named JWC player of the tournament Handré Pollard, and Cheetahs captain Adriaan Strauss will join the Springboks in Port Elizabeth today.
Pollard led the SA Under-20s at the Junior World Championships in New Zealand superbly, beating the Baby Blacks twice en route to the final, where they were edged 21-20 by England in Auckland on Friday.
Strauss has been a fixture in the Springbok squad since 2012 and missed out on the last three matches because of suspension. He is free to play again next weekend.
“I’ve always rated Handré very highly and with Morné returning to France and Johan Goosen struggling with a knee injury, we decided to bring him in,” said Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer.
“Adriaan has been with us since June 2012 and has played in every Test in the last two seasons. He knows our structures well and will slot back in with no hassle.
I don’t have an like or dislike against Pollard and was absolutely brilliant at the JWC but he hasn’t sparked at S15 at all for the Bulls. I guess if we don’t try him we’ll never know, I just think he is not experienced enough at senior level and will stuggle under pressure from a quality team.