Bulls skipper Handré Pollard believes that discipline will be key when South Africa’s fiercest rivals clash in the Super Rugby opener at Newlands. JON CARDINELLI reports.

North-south derbies have been known to bring out the best and worst in players. The better ones rise to the occasion, holding their nerve to score points at crucial moments or even effect timely defensive plays (Duane Vermeulen’s charge down of Pollard’s drop-goal attempt at Newlands in 2015 being a fairly recent example). Others allow the occasion to get the better of them, and an excess of passion and aggression often leads to game-changing penalties and yellow cards.

In an interview with SA Rugby magazine, which goes on sale this week, Pollard spoke about his new leadership position at the Bulls. The 22-year-old flyhalf will captain the side in the injury-enforced absence of Adriaan Strauss. He is all too aware of the pressure on this Bulls side to perform, after they failed to qualify for the playoffs in 2016.

Pollard missed the entire 2016 season due to a serious knee injury. His authority and innovation on attack was certainly missed by the Bulls in the Super Rugby tournament, and by the Boks in a Test season that witnessed eight defeats in 12 matches. Much will be expected from the player upon his return to the elite level, and some might say that the decision to burden him with the captaincy at this point is not entirely fair.

However, Pollard feels that the responsibility will bring out the best in him. While he acknowledged that it may take a few weeks to regain the match-sharpness that marked him as one of the most dangerous players in world rugby in 2015, he is looking forward to making a winning contribution as a playmaker and leader in the clash against the Stormers this Saturday.

The result may, according to the young flyhalf, hinge on the team’s discipline.

‘The north-south derby is always tough,’ Pollard said. ‘It’s always the clash that gets players from both sides excited.

‘There are more than a few big personal battles to consider. I know the locks [Springboks such as Lood de Jager for the Bulls and Eben Etzebeth and Pieter-Steph du Toit for the Stormers] will be up for the challenge. I’m from Cape Town, so that’s another reason why it’s a big one for me.’

High tackles will be punished severely this season in accordance with World Rugby’s new laws. Off-the-ball incidents, which are usually dime-a-dozen in a north-south derby, may lead to costly penalties and cards.

‘For me, as a leader, the challenge is to keep the guys calm and focused,’ said Pollard. ‘It’s in these types of games where guys are really fired up and that tempers can boil over. You want guys to keep their heads and make good decisions, because all those decisions can add up and mean the difference between winning and losing.’

The Stormers beat the Bulls 33-9 in Cape Town last year, while the Bulls won the second derby 17-13 in Pretoria. Both teams will be looking to win Saturday’s game and potentially finish the first round at the top of the Africa 1 conference.