Springboks veteran Handre Pollard set to depart Premiership giants as international replacement lined up – report
Leicester's Handré Pollard after a Gallagher Premiership Rugby match.
Springboks fly-half Handre Pollard has been linked with a sensational return to Japan’s Rugby League One at the end of his current Leicester Tigers contract.
The number 10 joined Leicester in 2022, and has made 33 appearances for the Premiership club.
Handre Pollard set for Japan return
Per reports from RugbyPass, the club are looking at possible replacements for the back-to-back World Cup winner, with doubts over his future growing ahead of his contract running out at the end of the season.
Pollard would be a huge loss to Leicester, as he brings a wealth of both international and club-level experience to the fold. He has won 80 caps for the Springboks in his Test career, after making his debut back in 2014, and played a huge role in both the 2019 and 2023 World Cup triumphs with his composed kicking from the tee.
At club level, Pollard has also played for the Bulls, NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes Osaka and Montpellier before heading to Mattioli Woods Welford Road, and was a part of the Montpellier side that won the Top 14 title in 2022.
With the wages Pollard is currently commanding, believed to be around £600,000, a return to Japan would seem a likely option. He would also be no stranger to League One, having played there for three months in 2016.
If he did make the move to Japan, he would join the ever-growing list of Springboks plying their trade out in the Far East too.
‘They don’t really want me to be in the league’ – Michael Cheika opens up on Premiership ban
Kurt-Lee Arendse has just had his move to the Mitsobishi Dynaboars confirmed, and the likes of Pieter-Steph du Toit, Jesse Kriel, Faf de Klerk, Cheslin Kolbe, Jasper Wiese – who he played with at Leicester – and Kwagga Smith are all currently in the Japanese league.
Possible Leicester return for Welsh international?
With Pollard looking likely to be heading for the exit door, RugbyPass are reporting Leicester are looking at possibly bringing back former player Sam Costelow.
The current Scarlets fly-half joined the Tigers academy in 2018, and was part of the same cohort as Freddie Steward, George Martin and Jack van Poortvliet. He went on to make just five first-team appearances for Leicester before returning to his native Wales with the Scarlets.
He has since gone on to win 15 caps for his country, but if he does return to the Tigers he would need to win a further 10 caps between now and the move to still represent his country.
