Not many Tigers fans hold the same opinions as the three inebriated men on the Leicester to London train. But an intriguing subplot was launched when they agreed on something regarding the club’s World Cup-winning fly-half, Handre Pollard, whose 14 points from the tee helped secure a 40-22 victory over Exeter Chiefs.

“He’s obviously brilliant at times,” said Drunk Bloke #1.

“But he seems to make a few mistakes every game and he’s not exactly the most creative fly-half,” said Drunk Bloke #2.

Drunk Bloke #3: “He plays the way the Springboks play, which is much better.”

Pollard is one of the most significant Test fly-halves in the history of the game and has won two World Cups with South Africa. His precision in kicking goals and his composed grip under duress

But it’s not just the pragmatic components of his game that seem to operate at a higher efficiency when he’s wearing the bottle green of the Boks. Since the start of 2020, Pollard has more off-loads per game and more break assists per game for his country than his two clubs – Montpellier and Leicester – in that time.

The comedian and cricket statistician Andy Zaltzman said that “Statistics are like a ventriloquist’s dummy. Shove your hand far enough up them, you can make them say whatever you want.” With that in mind, the twisting of variables to suit a narrative should be regarded with some scepticism. But when assessing certain metrics of some key Springboks over the past four years, a notable pattern emerges.

When playing for South Africa, Steven Kitshoff has amassed more carries, dominant tackles, and turnovers won per game than he did with Ulster or the Stormers since 2020. Frans Malherbe has performed better for South Africa’s gainline during that period than the Stormers.When playing for South Africa, Eben Etzebeth had higher success with gainlines, draws more tackler attention more frequently, and makes more tackles per game than he did with Toulon and the Sharks.

Compared to Toyota Verblitz or the Bulls, Willie le Roux assists more tries for the Springboks per game. Pieter-Steph du Toit is better for the club than the country when it comes to tackle evasion, gainline success, and line breaks.Even though he plays club rugby in Japan, Damian de Allende makes nearly three times as many strong tackles when he wears the Springbok on his chest. However, the guy who has been the epitome of the Springboks dream for the last six years is the one with the biggest statistical differences.

One of the most skilled loose forwards in the Test arena is Siya Kolisi. He is a threat with the ball, can carry into congested areas, and offers possibilities for wide attacks in the trams. He has an excellent work rate and a useful off-load technique. Put simply, he would be a valuable addition to any World Cup match on day 23.

I wonder if even his ardent admirers could state the same thing about his domestic accomplishments. In sports, it’s a cliché that certain athletes need to wear a certain jersey in order to play at their peak. Kolisi has given new life to the saying with his performances for the Stormers, Sharks, and Racing 92.

Kolisi has performed better for the Boks than any of the three clubs he has played for over the past four years in terms of tries scored, assists, tackle evasion success, gainline success, drawing multiple tacklers when carrying, tackles made, tackle success, dominant tackles, turnovers won, attacking rucks hit, attacking ruck efficiency, and defensive rucks hit.

How is that possible? Test rugby is meant to be more challenging. The greatest skill a nation has to offer is stacked against even the purportedly lesser opposition. The stakes are bigger and the level of scrutiny is higher. Why would this logical turn of events occur?

The statistics linking each of the previously stated forwards may hold the key to an answer. In four years, Kolisi, Kitshoff, Malherbe, Etzebeth, and Du Toit all scored more points in attacking and defensive rucks for their respective clubs than they did in Test rugby. That may be a result of the Springboks’ approach, which calls for each player in the pack to press the ball with their front foot and provide support to the ball carrier and the tackler on the deck. It might also be the outcome of their clubs’ disparate demands. However, the solution might not be found in the GPS data and percentiles.

In addition to inspiring players, Jacques Nienaber, Cassie Erasmus, and the other Springboks coaches want to elicit a little bit more work from each player when they connect their team’s on-field accomplishments with the aspirations of a nation. Any member of the squad is capable of hitting rucks. It’s one area of the game where very little skill is needed, to use the words of former Ireland captain Paul O’Connell. All you have is ambition, hunger, and hard work. And the Springboks are the best team in rugby on that front—possibly more so than any other side.

A post on X that garnered approximately 75,000 views recently listed the best 10 fly-halves in the Premiership for the current season. Pollard finished eighth, one of just ten competitors to win a World Cup.Above him stood Fin Smith, Owen Farrell, Fin Russell, George Ford, and Marcus Smith. While there was debate among the several reposts and comments below the line over the top five, everyone was adamant that Pollard had not performed anywhere close to their level.

This is the same Pollard who Paolo Garbisi of Italy moved to position No. 12 at Montpellier. When Manie Libbok was pulling strings at first receiver in early 2023, Pollard thought that he was above and above South Africa’s needs. This is the same Pollard who led the Boks to a fourth world title while never seeming to miss a goal kick.

It’s been suggested that some players can’t function at their best without a specific uniform. They frequently outperform others when wearing bottle green.