Handre Pollard confident Embrose Papier is ready for Springbok recall

By SABC Sport
15th April 2026

Bulls flyhalf Handre Pollard says Embrose Papier is playing at the top of his game and would add plenty of value to the national setup if the Springboks were to call him up.

Papier burst onto the professional rugby scene in 2018, making his debut for the Bulls before getting his first call-up to the Springboks.

It appeared as if he would establish himself as South Africa's first-choice No. 9 and played eight games that year, but ended up losing his place in the squad at the end of the season.

Papier has not been given another look by the Springboks since 2018 and was also not included in the Bok alignment camp arranged by Rassie Erasmus in March 2026, but Pollard thinks that may change soon if Papier can maintain his form.

"When it comes to Emi, I can't give him any advice at the moment. He must just carry on playing the way he is playing," Pollard said.

"I think he is playing unbelievable rugby and he has an incredibly important role in our team at the moment. He must just carry on doing what he is doing.

"The Boks are the Boks. It is in none of our hands. They will choose who they want and who they think is the right person. Emi must just carry on doing his thing and work hard, like all of us. Those things are out of your control.

"He's incredibly important for us. He's taken his game to another level. He's always had that X-factor, but his fundamentals are unbelievably good now. He also creates something out of nothing.

"I really enjoy playing with him. He takes a lot of pressure off me and creates a lot of opportunities for us."