Cape Town - Bulls flyhalf Handre Pollard says the Hurricanes remain a dangerous outfit even without All Black flyhalf Beauden Barrett.
Barrett looks unlikely to start in Saturday’s game at Loftus Versfeld - largely due to the fact that he did not feature in any of the pre-season warm-up matches and that he arrived late in South Africa after attending the weddings of his brother and a close friend.
Ihaia West now looks set to be Pollard’s opposite number on Saturday but the Springbok does not believe it will make the Hurricanes a weaker side.
“They’ll be potent with or without him (Barrett),” Pollard told Netwerk24. “Ihaia West is just as good. I played against him at junior level and in a few Super Rugby games. Beauden will be a loss, but it would be a mistake to underestimate Ihaia.”
The 23-year-old Pollard is fit and raring to go after two injury-plagued seasons.
He says he feels as fit as he was at the beginning of the 2015 season.
Bulls coach John Mitchell will name his starting team on Thursday.