Handré Pollard says the Springboks fought for each other on the field against Scotland in Edinburgh.
The Boks became just the second team (after the All Blacks) to beat the Scots at Murrayfield in 11 Tests, following up their win against France in Paris.
Those two results helped to improve the Boks’ record away from home this year to three out of seven, with another Test to come.
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Pollard told SuperSport that the successive victories on tour showed they were growing as a team.
‘I think it is growth. Growth in a young team and that is great to see. We are focused on the process, but if we can get a win it also helps. It makes the fans more positive and us as well, so it’s always good to win.
‘It was incredibly tough. We knew we were going to have to play for the full 80. Scotland are unbelievably good at Murrayfield. We made plans, some worked, some didn’t. But it was good to see the guys fighting for each other on the pitch. I think that gave us the edge in those last few minutes.’
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Pollard played alongside 21-year-old scrumhalf Embrose Papier against the Scots and was full of praise for his Bulls teammate.
‘He was quite quiet during this week, a bit nervous,’ Pollard said with a chuckle. ‘But he came through it very well. He made an awesome contribution and guided the forwards well.
‘It’s great to see how the guys are growing. He and Ivan [van Zyl] played against England and we know what we have with Faf, so to see we have three 9s who can play like this is great for Springbok rugby.’
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Photo: Andy Buchanan/AFP
