Handre Pollard will again have to prove that he can be to South African rugby what Jordan Spieth is to American golf and stop the Wallabies from outsmarting the Springboks at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane tomorrow.
Should he win The Open this weekend 21-year-old Spieth is on track for a calendar Grand Slam in golf, having made a mockery of such conventions as the need for experience.
Pollard, thrust into a team of a coach who’s enamoured of experience, was expected to do the same when he made the Bok starting line-up last season. But after a promising start in Super Rugby, he has steadily lost form, leading to a patchy performance in last weekend’s game against the World XV.
Young and in-form midfielders Damian de Allende and Jesse Kriel, who together with Pollard form a 10-12-13 axis that will arrive with a grand total of 12 Test caps between them, find themselves in something approaching the same boat.
They will be up against devious operators Quade Cooper, Matt Giteau and Tevita Kuridrani, who will be ably assisted by Will Genia at scrumhalf, wingers Adam Ashley-Cooper and Rob Horne, as well as fullback Israel Folau.
Flyhalf Pollard, 21, has been in this position before. Last year he was the lion cub surrounded by jackals and hyenas but on the massive occasion at Ellis Park against the All Blacks, he came out on top.
This is the very limit of coach Heyneke Meyer’s faith in youth. It worries him that the Wallabies, with Giteau’s 92 caps, have closed the gap in Test experience and will start a XV with just 28 caps less than the Boks’ combined 767.
The hosts have an even spread of experience too, while their bench makes for a match 23 with a total of 1023 Test appearances. So the time to show Meyer their mettle is now.
Scrumhalf Ruan Pienaar, whose 80 caps have now doubled in value, had little doubt that Pollard would show just that in the Rugby Championship opener.
“It has been a joy to watch Pollard develop over the past couple of years; he is an exciting talent,” said Pienaar. “He is a world-class player and he is not scared to take the line; plus, he has a good kicking game. He kicks the ball a mile and has the makings to become a great Springbok.
“For this match he will be helped by having a good kicking scrumhalf. That’s where I come in. Where I can, I’ll try to take the pressure off the number 10 and 15.
“But we are trying to play a bit more of a positive game, while mixing it up with a good kicking game. Hopefully, the combination between the two of us will work well. We’ve only played one game so far, against the World XV, so there is lots to improve on. Giteau has been in unbelievable form for Toulon over the last couple of years and the experience and quality he adds validates what a clever move it was for Australia to get those guys back.
“Quade Cooper on his day is the best number 10 in the world – he is so unpredictable, has unbelievably good feet and has a good kicking game. They are spoiled for choice at playmaker.”
De Allende’s ever-increasing stock will treble if he gets the better of Giteau, but that’s no easy feat. He has got the physique of a Grand National steed complemented by hands soft enough to unhook a brassiere blindfolded. His feet glide when in motion. Truly, he is a magnificent sporting specimen.
But Giteau has faced plenty of brutes as big, if not bigger, as De Allende and the clash in Brisbane will be a sweet reminder of just what a calculating mind the Aussies have been missing.
He almost signed off his career with that embarrassing 32-23 defeat to Samoa in Sydney four years ago to the day, but he’s ready to amend the script.
“De Allende played extremely well against the Brumbies in the quarterfinals in Cape Town, in a big pressure game at home,” said Giteau.
“He seems like someone who thrives on those big occasions and those guys are rare. He has that Springbok physique: strong, quick and has great little subtle feet, which most people don’t pick up on.
“Pollard, too, is very talented and you could see that when he scored two tries against the All Blacks last year. He threatens the line and is a strong ball-carrier. Both of them have got more caps than I have in the last four years.
“But Quade and I will look to attack at speed. Anytime you’ve got quickness of ball, the decision-making becomes a bit easier.”