Papier looking forward to making Bok magic with Pollard

Dynamic scrumhalf Embrose Papier says he is looking forward to making magic with Bulls teammate Handre Pollard when they line up for the Springboks against Scotland at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.

After shining for the Bulls in the United Rugby Championship, Papier is back in the mix and making his first Test start for the Boks since 2018.

All eyes will be on the pair as they guide the Boks in a second round Nations Championship clash (kickoff 5.40pm)

“We all know Handre has a lot of experience,” Papier said. “We’ve spent a lot of time together on the pitch for the Bulls, and I’m just really excited to go into this game with him.

“But we know it’s going to be a challenge for us. It’s a different calling in the Springbok environment, and we’ve just got to pitch up and just give our all on the day.

“It’s exciting to be back, but I still need to grow and work hard to earn my place here. But it’s all about putting the team first. It’s about helping to prep the guys, and if you get to play, just to give your all.

It’s exciting to be back, but I still need to grow and work hard to earn my place here

—  Embrose Papier

“It’s great working under the Bok coaches. I’m learning a lot every day. I’ve missed a lot of guys and a lot of familiar faces, so it’s just great to be in the environment and learning from the guys.”

Bok coach Rassie Erasmus said Papier had earned a Test recall after shining in the United Rugby Championship.

“Firstly, I thought he played really well this season,” he said.

“My first year of coaching was in 2018/19, and he’s got seven caps now, and most of them were at that stage.

“Guys like Faf de Klerk, Cobus Reinach, Jaden Hendrikse and a few of the guys who were established were part of two World Cups, and there were a real bunch of good nines playing really well.

“Sometimes it’s not because the player is not playing well enough or is not Springbok class. It’s just because there are other guys that are playing really well.

“I think none of us can look past the fact that he played well this year, and then obviously there are some injured players and some guys who lost form, and he gathered form.

“He gets the opportunity at home with Handre, where he’s played a lot of rugby, so hopefully that helps him.

This team wasn’t picked for reasons surrounding Scotland. It was picked for us to make sure that when we go to the World Cup next year we know who can do what, when and how

—  Rassie Erasmus, Springbok coach

“It [Scotland’s 47-38 win over Argentina last week] didn’t play any role in the team selection. If we had played Italy first and England second, we would have done the same thing.

“This team wasn’t picked for reasons surrounding Scotland. It was picked for us to make sure that when we go to the World Cup next year we know who can do what, when and how.

“How players will react when they are under pressure and not under pressure. Some combinations were picked with that in mind.

“Scotland played really well against Argentina and are obviously a good team. They beat England in the Six Nations, so if you go by those results, this weekend’s match will probably be tougher than last weekend’s.”

Follow The Herald WhatsApp channel today and stay connected to the stories shaping our world.

The Herald