Old-school Polly embracing new challenge

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Springbok flyhalf Handre Pollard says he’s focused more on his attacking game in recent seasons.

In an interview with BBC Radio Leicester, the double World Cup winner admitted he didn’t fit the modern template of a 10.

When asked if he had been requested to play a different role recently – for his club Leicester and the Boks since Tony Brown’s appointment as attack coach – he said, “Yes.”

The 31-year-old explained: "Your creativity has got to go up quite a bit, where the mindset previously was field position mostly with getting yourself down there with contestable kicks and focusing on your set piece.

"But the change is good, it's exciting and it gets us more creative and thinking about the game differently which is great at any stage in your career."

Pollard said while he would never be a flashy flyhalf, he enjoyed the attacking aspect of the game.

"Everyone is different, you look at a Marcus [Smith] with his speed and footwork and you look at Finn [Russell] with his silky hands, there are different types of flyhalves – there always have been," he said.

"I won't put myself in that category of being that sort of out-there flyhalf, I have never been and from a young age. I've really enjoyed the other parts of the game a bit more and put more time into that to get to where I am now.

"But I do always enjoy that attacking part of the game. It's probably something that I've had to focus more on, because naturally, growing up playing for the Bulls in South Africa, it's pretty similar [to Leicester], pretty structured, a very good kicking game, set-piece and massive forwards everywhere,” said Pollard, who will return to the Bulls at the end of the season.

"I'd say I'm probably built in the older way of rugby but thoroughly enjoying the new challenges that have come now with a bit more of an expansive game."

ALSO: Pollard's Bulls schedule revealed

Photo: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile via Getty Images

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