Handre Pollard on THAT World Cup penalty: Best kick of my life!

Pollard of course played a crucial role throughout the World Cup playoffs, not missing a single goal kick – most memorably slotting a long distance match winner against England in the semi-finals from near the halfway line.

That penalty completed one of the greatest comebacks in Bok history to overturn a nine-point deficit in the final 10 minutes to clear a sixth and final Rugby World Cup hurdle before the title decider that they eventually won.

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Pollard says he could “kick another 1000 kicks” and doesn’t think he could connect with such a pure strike again.

“In that moment of putting the ball down, for me it’s excitement, I love it,” Pollard told former Scotland lock Jim Hamilton. “I love those moments. It gets me really excited. It’s the most alive you will feel on a rugby field, at least that’s how I feel as a flyhalf and kicker. There’s all that pressure on you to kick that kind of kick.

“I just enjoy it. It’s really fun. For the first time ever in my career, when I got to my mark, as I got back there, I looked up and for a split second in my mind I was thinking, ‘Geez, this is going to be pretty cool if it goes over’.

“I have never had that thought. It was just the mindspace that I was in at that moment. It was the best strike of my life. It was unreal. I will probably kick another 1000 kicks and I won’t kick anything like that.”

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Pollard hails legacy to be proud of

Meanwhile, the Bok pivot hailed the never-say-die spirit of this World Cup winning group.

“I’m not sure that there is another group like this in rugby, that just simply refuses to give up and always finds a way, no matter the challenge,” he continues. “The scoreline in the three World Cup playoffs tells a story, but when you think about the past six years, we’ve been fighting non stop. It’s a legacy that we should be proud of.”

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Crazy celebrations

After winning the World Cup, the Springboks celebrated for days on end, including a blockbuster trophy tour.

“It was a tough week,” Pollard said in another interview, with clear subtext to how the celebrations took a toll. “A real tough week – but enjoyable. The first two, three days were the most enjoyable because it was just us as a team, still at the hotel – from Monday we travelled for a couple of days. It was just us together; once you land in South Africa it’s crazy, chaos, and you don’t really get the time together again.

“There wasn’t a lot of sleep at all. Some guys – I don’t know how they do it to be honest. I thought I was pretty decent at having a good time but I’m terrible at it looking at the standards they set. There were a few guys – Damian Willemse, Cheslin Kolbe didn’t hold back. As soon as somebody gets tired, the next guy jumps in and gets it going again. It was unbelievable.”

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