Handre Pollard can further develop his big-match temperament at Leicester Tigers and become a better player, his Springbok teammate Marco van Staden says.

On Tuesday, Leicester confirmed the heavily speculated signing of the World Cup-winning flyhalf from Montpellier.

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Pollard and Bok loose forward Van Staden, who joined from the Vodacom Bulls earlier this year, last played together at club level in Pretoria and will be reunited when he arrives in England in 2022.

“I’m excited,” van Staden told English media. “Tigers can only make him an even better player. So, I think the coaching we have here, the way we train and the way we do things will make him even better. I am excited from his point of view as well. I am looking forward to playing with him once again.

“At a young age he had a lot of experience. He had a big-match temperament at the Bulls, now it’s even more. When he gets here, it’s going to be good for him. He’s going to develop that even more.”

Van Staden was part of the Springbok squad that played against Wales, Scotland and England during the November internationals.

Even though Pollard’s future was not clear at the time, Van Staden chatted with him about life in Leicester.

“Obviously, in the Bok camp, we spoke a bit, I told him how it is here,” he said.

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“But he didn’t actually make anything clear at that time, if he was coming or not. We obviously told him it’s a proper club, it’s high standards, very good coaching and the team is all working towards the same goal.”

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