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Cape Town - Springbok flyhalf Handre Pollard appears to have bulked up significantly.
Injuries kept Pollard on the sidelines for the best part of two seasons, with his last international appearance coming against Argentina at the 2015 Rugby World Cup in England.
But the Bulls pivot is raring to go as the Springboks prepare to battle Australia in a Rugby Championship Test in Perth on Saturday.
The Springbok team management has a policy of not revealing personal information about players but it has become apparent that Pollard has spent a lot of time in the gym.
Team-mate Jesse Kriel posted a picture of the backline players in a Perth gym this past weekend, with the bulky Pollard featuring prominently second from right in the picture (view below).
Backs getting the work done , flush out ?????? || #vibeON• pic.twitter.com/Ok9WG4FKsl
— Jesse Kriel (@JesseKriel15) September 2, 2017
On SA Rugby’s official website, the 1.89m Pollard is listed as 97kg, but the expectation is that he has gained between five and 10kg of muscle.
Coach Allister Coetzee was reluctant to reveal how much mass Pollard has gained, but said that he was happy with the player’s conditioning levels.
“I think the standard that we set for our conditioning and what we strive towards as an international team has improve markedly. The players understand it,” Coetzee was quoted as saying by Netwerk24.
Pollard could be included on the bench for Saturday’s clash in Perth, with Coetzee to name his side on Thursday.
