Handré Pollard has opened up on his injury struggles since lifting the World Cup and admits that he is loving his time on the field for the first time in ‘a very long time’.

Pollard has been a massive hit in England since recovering from his most recent knee injury, guiding Leicester Tigers’ Premiership playoff challenge.

The Springbok flyhalf recently scored 19 points, including a sensational solo try, to help Leicester grab a 46-24 victory over Bristol Bears at Welford Road. This came shortly after he scored 21 points in a win over Bath at the beginning of March.

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“I’m getting there,” Pollard told the Leicester Tigers website. “It has been a tough four years, very stop-start with injuries and France and everything.

“But it just feels nice to play consistently again, get the rhythm and to play at this place, with this team.

“I’m enjoying it so much. I haven’t enjoyed playing rugby like this in a very long time, it’s really fun. So, yeah, getting there but still stuff to work on for me.”

Leicester interim coach Richard Wigglesworth sang Pollard’s praises in the wake of his side’s most recent win.

“He is everything you would expect from a world-class flyhalf. He has got an intensity to him that when he speaks, you listen.

“He was really good (against Bristol), he has been good for weeks. It is not just about what he does on a Saturday, it is about what he does in the week,” Wigglesworth continued.

“Senior players are really driving the environment at the moment, they are grabbing hold of it and that makes the weeks go smoothly as they are more competitive.

“The whole squad is driving what we are doing and he personified that today. I thought he was really good.

“Parts of that performance were very good, especially in the second half. We were slightly off in a few areas, but the boys tightened them up and we found an advantage with all their injuries and brought it home.”

Pollard’s next assignment will be to guide Leicester through to the next round of Champions Cup playoffs when they host Edinburgh in the last 16 on Friday night.

What an individual performance from this man 🙌

Handrè Pollard is loving every single minute in a @LeicesterTigers shirt 🐯#GallagherPrem | #LEIvBRI pic.twitter.com/McJGBIATwU

— Premiership Rugby (@premrugby) March 25, 2023