World Cup winning Springbok star rumoured to be on the move

Double Rugby World Cup-winning flyhalf Handre Pollard has become the source of speculation, with his current deal at Gallagher Premiership side the Leicester Tigers set to expire at the end of the season.

Per reports in RugbyPass, the Tigers are exploring the possibility of bringing Welsh international Sam Costelow back to Mattioli Woods Welford Road ahead of next season.

Should Costelow return to the Tigers, he would need to play in every Welsh test between now and next season to remain eligible under the Welsh cap rule. Making 55 appearances for the Parc y Scarlets outfit while scoring 366 points, Costelow has made 17 appearances for Wales to date, meaning he is currently 8 short of the 25 cap requirement for Welsh players to remain eligible for the national side when not playing their domestic rugby in Wales.

This rumoured move has also made Pollard’s future a topic of conversation, with the RugbyPass report linking him with a move back to Japan for next season.

Given that Pollard’s current deal is reported to bring in £600,000 per season, a move to the big-spending Japanese league would make sense for the 30-year-old, who looks to remain a key member of the Springbok squad ahead of the 2027 Rugby World Cup.

Pollard has previously played rugby in Japan for the Red Hurricanes Osaka as well as for Top 14 side Montpellier and South Africa United Rugby Championship outfit the Vodacom Bulls.