Iwill be very disappointed should pollard not prove to be a very much better player than Se x ton.
Ex Sport 24
Cape Town - Former Springbok fullback Thinus Delport says flyhalf Handre Pollard has become as crucial to the Springbok cause as Jonathan Sexton is to Ireland.
Pollard and Sexton will square off against each other when the two countries clash at Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Saturday.
Pollard, 20, will earn just his seventh Springbok cap on Saturday but he produced a performance beyond his years when the Boks beat the All Blacks 27-25 at Ellis Park last month.
Coach Heyneke Meyer earlier this week described Pollard as a "special, special attacking player" and Delport agrees.
Delport, who played 18 Tests for the Boks between 2000 and 2003, currently works as a rugby pundit in the Northern Hemisphere. He spoke to the independent.ie websiteahead of Saturday's Test.
"Pollard has been outstanding. He's got such a mature head on his shoulders," said Delport. "He's attacking the line with intent and he's not afraid to get involved in the physical side of the game. He's very much like Sexton in that regard except he's a few years younger. His distribution is top-class and he really gets the backline moving." (the wee abs have nothing like Pollard I am sure they will agree!)
Delport said the only current area in Pollard's game that needs work is his tactical kicking but added that the attacking edge he adds is crucial to the game plan the Springboks currently employ.
A decent performance against the 29-year-old, 48-Test capped Sexton will go a long way in making Pollard one of the international stars of 2014.
Kick-off for Saturday's clash at Aviva Stadium is scheduled for 19:30 (SA time).
