If South Africa are to win this year’s Castle Lager Rugby Championship, then quick ball from the breakdown is non-negotiable.

The Boks have made it clear that they want to speed up their play during this year’s competition, not slow it down as they have in the past.

The biggest problem is that their catalyst, their general in exercising their play in this regard, talisman Fourie du Preez, is injured and unavailable, bringing a heavy burden on the three halfbacks in the squad to produce the goods.

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The Bok evolution over the past year has gone hand in hand with Du Preez’ ability to provide a speedy service from the breakdown, coupled with his uncanny knack of bulleting the pass to the perfect runner in the perfect position. That in itself had a profound effect on the Bok scoring patterns as they romped 47 tries past the chalk last year in 12 tests, just four less than the World Champion All Blacks, who played two tests more.

This year alone they have scored 23 tries in four outings, and have played a brand of rugby that, bar for the Nelspruit hiccup against Wales, has seen them up the tempo in every game.

But now Du Preez is injured, and Meyer has made it clear in the last week that Ruan Pienaar, Francois Hougaard and Cobus Reinach, if he gets the chance, will need to make the same impact if they want to cement a spot to the World Cup next year.

It is an interesting challenge, especially as much of the criticism surrounding Pienaar and Hougaard in the past has been how they have laboured around the breakdown, looking up and taking their time before sending the ball out wide.

Over the past fortnight the Boks have been working on improving on that, and Meyer has made it clear that the same is expected from Pienaar and Hougaard this weekend when they face Argentina at Loftus Versfeld.

“All nines in South Africa need to learn to play at a high tempo, if we’re going to become the best team in the world,” Meyer said unequivocally about his expectations for this weekend.

“We need to up the tempo, and that starts with the breakdown where we need to get quicker ball. That is one area I’ve always said South Africa has fallen behind. We’ve improved over the last year and our stats show we were the best not just at stealing but at winning quick ball. It is an area we’ve worked hard on at the Boks.”

“Then with our nines, Fourie (du Preez) went to Japan and he was always great, but when he went to Japan, it helped him speed up his game. That is one area every single nine must improve. They all know where they stand. We need to speed up the game.”

“We have shown that in the past, where we get the ball on the front foot, especially with a flyhalf like Handre (Pollard), who attacks the gain line, if we get quick ball, we can score a lot of tries. They know that is one area we need to improve a lot on, we need quick ball from our nines.”

While the Boks know the majority of tries come from turnovers, quick ball doesn’t allow defences to set their lines, and often leads either to infringements or gaps, with the backs being speedy and in space if the ball is quick to exploit such.

The Boks lost their shootout with the All Blacks at Ellis Park because they tried to play an up temp game without getting the basics right.

Meyer has learnt from this, and knows all too well the risks he is taking. But to beat the best, the Bok coach wants his team to play an up tempo game, to score tries and to run opposition teams ragged.

They already know they can play a suffocating game if they need it, something that will come in handy when they get to the World Cup.

But for now, the message to Pienaar and co is clear. Quick ball, fired away from the rucks is essential.

Anything less won’t be tolerated.

If there was ever any doubt just how much Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer rates IRB Junior Player of the year Handre Pollard as a match-winner and future Springbok great, his comments in naming the flyhalf in the starting line-up for Saturday’s Castle Lager Rugby Championship opener against Argentina would have dispelled that for ever.

Pollard was preferred to regular Morne Steyn and utility Pat Lambie by Meyer to make his second test start on Saturday, continuing the meteoric rise for the SA under-20 captain after an impressive debut against Scotland in Port Elizabeth.

There is no doubt Meyer knows what he has in both Steyn and Lambie. Lambie’s versatility and Steyn’s rock-solid kicking ability make them both valuable assets to the Bok cause.

But neither of them possesses the x-factor that Pollard does – the closest thing South Africa has seen to a complete flyhalf this millennium, and one which Meyer believes can well become a Bok great if he knuckles down, remains humble and continues on his current path.

For that reason the Bok coach is backing him against Los Pumas on Saturday, not only because he wants him to build up as much experience as possible, but also because he is playing on his home ground, is a settled member of the squad now and has the opportunity to start cementing a place for himself in next year’s Rugby World Cup squad.

It won’t be a surprise if Pollard is the starting flyhalf for the World Cup, but first he will need to find his feet and settle into the position during this year’s Rugby Championship. How he handles the pressure and how he excels is up to him, but it is certain that the Bok coach supports him all the way.

“He is only 20 years old, but he is a very mature 20 year old. I’ve watched him since he was a 15-year old and he has always impressed me,” Meyer explained when asked about Pollard’s characteristics.

“What makes him an unbelievable prospect, and he knows there still is a lot of hard work ahead. The great thing about him is – and you don’t find a lot of this – he has an unbelievable attacking game, he is good enough to have a good tactical game. You don’t find that a lot in a number of 10s. Most of them are good tactical flyhalves or they are running flyhalves. Handre is almost too big and tall for 10, and that will always be his challenge, especially with his speed and reaction to kick under pressure.”

“But he is mentally tough and the other thing that impresses me is his leadership quality. I always believe you have to have a 10 that the players trust, a 10 that the players know is cool-headed and don’t mind if he takes charge of the calls because they trust him. They know he is cool and calm under pressure.”

Meyer added that he could see Pollard switching to inside centre later in his career, but with his solid defence and attacking game, he could play both positions equally well.

“He also has a good running game, that’s why I believe he will be a good 12 as well. His kicking percentage at poles was 83% in Super Rugby. Most of the teams also now attack the 10/12 channel, and he is a superb defender and he is big enough to knock guys back, even forwards.”

“So there are no grey areas in his game, and especially attacking abilities he is great to watch. The The one thing I said to him is that he has to keep his feet on the ground, don’t get ahead on himself, and to work on his kicking game and at poles. That is the one area he can work on as a youngster.”

“He has got a good defence and attack, a great mindset both on and off the field and like I said, the one thing that always ticks a box for me is he is a great leader.”

“He has been the best player at the under-20 tournament and worldwide at that level he has been renowned as a world class player and now it is just to stay humble and take it to the next level.”

“I believe in him, I’ve always believed in him. I think he can be a world class player going forward.”

So far the signs are exciting for Pollard and given Meyer’s career highlights have often been by backing a young ten to produce the goods, if Pollard fulfils the expectations of him, Bok rugby will be a lot stronger heading to England next year.