Handré Pollard's seamless shift from flyhalf to inside centre during the Scotland Test wasn't reactive — Erasmus confirmed the Boks have been training him at 12 for four weeks. The piece argues this opens a genuine tactical avenue: pairing Pollard's kicking, game management and defensive composure with a more expansive No.10 like Feinberg-Mngomezulu or Libbok, without sacrificing the control that defines Springbok Test rugby. Bester draws the obvious historical parallels — Carter, Farrell/Ford, Giteau, Hernández — to frame the dual-playmaker axis as proven international currency, and notes that Pollard's patchy URC form is explicitly not a concern for Erasmus, who sees franchise and Test demands as fundamentally different environments. If Saturday was an audition, Pollard passed it: Man of the Match, a try assist for Kriel, and the positional switch barely registered as a disruption.
Pollard at 12 isn't an emergency — it's a World Cup plan
Erasmus has spent four weeks preparing Pollard to cover inside centre, and Saturday's shift against Scotland was the live test. The piece makes the case that a Pollard-at-12 option gives the Boks a genuine World Cup tactical weapon — freeing up the No.10 jersey for a more attacking option without losing control or defensive structure.
Syndesmosis injury could keep Feinberg-Mngomezulu out for three months
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu faces a three-month absence after suffering a syndesmosis injury in the Stormers' URC quarter-final win over Cardiff, potentially ruling him out of the Nations Championship Tests and part of the All Blacks series.
Pollard and Feinberg-Mngomezulu deliver standout kicking displays in URC
Handrè Pollard and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu have been in kicking form in the URC, with a highlight reel of their best efforts underlining the quality both Springbok pivots are producing at franchise level.
So how deep is the Springbok squad?
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Erasmus: winning stays non-negotiable, whatever the World Cup build-up demands
Erasmus has made his 2025 season intent explicit: rotation and World Cup-building happen inside a framework where winning remains the non-negotiable baseline. The piece breaks down what that means for squad management, the veterans' standing, and why the All Blacks series carries extra weight.
Springbok Recall! Relive Phepsi Buthelezi's 2025/26 Season
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