I had written my World Cup chances off!
Handre Pollard reflects: I had written my World Cup chances off!
Flyhalf Handre Pollard has reflected on returning to the Springboks’ team just as he had given up on his World Cup dream.

Count Handre Pollard of South Africa rejoices. Image courtesy of BackpagePix
Handre Pollard has returned to his English team, Leicester, following a hectic few weeks as focus returns to club duties following the World Cup victory with the Springboks.
Naturally, Pollard was essential to the World Cup playoffs; he did not miss a single attempt at goal, most notably when he scored a long-range goal against England in the semifinals.
After suffering an injury that initially prevented him from being selected for the World Cup, Pollard made an amazing recovery. His tournament was cut short, and he was later called up in lieu of Malcom Marx.
“I was back in the mix just when I’d written off my chances of making the World Cup,” he recounted in an excellent interview for Rugby Pass.
“It was the last thing I wanted for one of my teammates to get hurt, and the club never benefits from losing a player of Malcolm’s caliber. Even so, I was overjoyed to get that call.
“Perhaps I’ve been fortunate, as some players don’t recover from these injuries.” Nothing will ever be taken for granted by me. But after a few instances, you begin to believe in the process and focus on making a return. Knowing that you have been down that path before brings you some peace.
Pollard hails legacy to be proud of
The Bok pivot, in the meantime, praised this World Cup-winning team’s never-say-die mentality.
He goes on, “I don’t know of any other rugby group like this that just plain doesn’t give up and always finds a way, no matter the challenge.” “The three World Cup playoff results tell a story, but if you look back over the last six years, it seems like we haven’t stopped fighting.” Our heritage is something to be proud of.
Crazy celebrations
The Springboks held a spectacular trophy tour and celebrated for days after winning the World Cup.
In a another interview, Pollard stated, “It was a tough week,” obviously hinting at the toll the celebrations had taken. “A really difficult, yet pleasant, week. Since we were all there at the hotel for the first two or three days, they were the most fun. On Monday, we left for a few days of travel. When you get to South Africa, things get frantic and chaotic and you don’t really get to spend time together again. It was just the two of us.
Not a lot of sleep was had at all. To be honest, I have no idea how some guys manage to accomplish it. I used to think I was very good at having fun, but after seeing the standards they set, I’m really bad at it. Damian Willemse and Cheslin Kolbe were among the guys who didn’t hold back. When one guy becomes fatigued, the other one steps in and restarts the conversation. It was astounding.