Africa’s fly-half After returning for club duty after the Rugby World Cup, Handre Pollard said he “got a few boos.”
With two game-winning kicks in the semi-final and final of the global event, the 29-year-old was instrumental in their success.
This came after Pollard was added to the team midway through the World Cup due to hooker Malcolm Marx’s injury.
After recovering from an injury in September, the fly-half played 40 minutes for Leicester in a Premiership Rugby Cup match before being selected for the South African team.
Downing England
Pollard came on for Manie Libbok in the first half of their World Cup semi-final against England and kicked the winning penalty late on to deny the Englishmen a place in the showpiece event.
Tigers stars Freddie Steward, George Martin, Dan Cole, and Ollie Chessum all featured for the Red Rose in that clash.
According to the Telegraph, a highlights package was shown in honor of the returning players, and once it came to that key three-pointer, plenty of jeers jokingly broke out from Pollard’s team-mates.
“I got a few boos!” he told the Telegraph. “It was all in good spirits. It’s painful [for the England players], of course. I’ve been there; I’ve lost in a World Cup semi-final before. It stays with you the rest of your life.
“But these guys are all so young still and have so much potential. Freddie, George, and Ollie, they’re just going to learn from it and come out the other side so much better rugby players and people.
“It could be for the better in the future.”
Pollard has just returned following a week-long celebration in the wake of the Boks’ 12-11 triumph over the All Blacks in the World Cup final.
The fly-half described it as a ‘tough but enjoyable week’ as they toured around South Africa to share the special win with their supporters.
The celebrations
“The first two, three days were the most enjoyable because it was just us as a team, still at the hotel. From Monday, we traveled for a couple of days,” Pollard said.
“It was just us together; once you land in South Africa, it’s crazy and chaotic, and you don’t really get the time together again.
“There wasn’t a lot of sleep at all. 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.
Damian Willemse and Cheslin Kolbe were two of the players who didn’t hold back. When one guy becomes fatigued, the other one steps in and restarts the conversation. It was astounding.
“We spent the first day or two at the hotel before we left. The first flight was enjoyable—an A380 with a bar upstairs—and we had some fun. After that, we spent eight and a half hours in the lounge.
“It took eight and a half hours to finish that. You can only imagine how that began on day three. I can’t provide too many specifics.
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