Bath manager admits Handre Pollard is too good to target
Johan van Graan has collaborated a lot with Handre Pollard over the years
Bath manager Johann van Graan has admitted there is no point in targeting two-time World Cup winner Handre Pollard when the Premier League leaders travel to Leicester on Sunday because the Springbok No10 cannot be messed with.
AD Van Graann, a former Munster and Springboks coach, was part of South Africa’s management team at the 2015 Rugby World Cup, working with Pollard, and said: “There is no specific plan for Handre, he is too good to target specifically.
“I have coached Handre for a very long time and he is one of the best and ultimate professionals.
Handre loves the big moments and if you look at the three Rugby World Cups (2015, 2019, 2023) that he has been involved in, he is going big.
– He plays in a class team, so we give them all the respect they deserve. If you want to play the Tigers on the last day of 2023, if you don’t like the games, why are you in the game? We can’t wait.
“Van Graan also praised Springbok No8 Jasper Wiese, who has been a powerhouse for the eighth-placed Tigers, helping them to the Premier League title in 2022.
He topped the league’s weekly possession stats and van Graan said: “I first met Jasper when he was playing for the Cheetahs and he came off the bench against Munster and you saw this dynamic ball carrier.
Steve Borthwick signed him for Leicester and what he was like .journey he was on. “At one stage he was found to be ill-disciplined and the team targeted him and he became one of the leading ball carriers in world rugby.
What he has done for Leicester is incredible and he is the leading ball carrier in the Premier League with an average of 20 per game.
What he did for South Africa was also incredible – he worked hard on his game and he’s tough. I think he is one of the best players in the Premier League.
Van Graan is not worried about maintaining the rotation policy of the Premier League as he believes the strength of the Bath squad is good enough to face Leicester at Welford Road.
He added: “The 17th game of this group has just finished and we have five more to play and it looks like it will never end.
No player plays every weekend and we believe that whichever team is selected will be good enough to get result if we follow our process.
“There are some very good teams in the competition and the one we’re up against is one of the top clubs in world rugby and Welford Road is one of the toughest places to go.”
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