Latest news with #HandrePollard
The South African
an hour ago
- Sport
- The South African
Handre Pollard set for final game abroad before SA return
Handre Pollard is likely hoping for a last sweet victory as he plays his final game with Leicester Tigers next weekend. Just a few days later, the famous flyhalf will officially take up his post with the Bulls. The fly-half's UK club will clash against Sale Sharks in the Gallagher Premiership finals on Saturday, 14 June. On the same day, the Bulls will also play for a title – in the URC Grand Final – against Leinster. Over the weekend, Handre Pollard played his final home game with Leicester Tigers at their Mattioli Woods Welford Stadium. Next weekend, the Springbok star will head to Twickenham for his final game with the club. Handre is likely hoping to help his team clinch a bittersweet victory against Sale Sharks for the Gallagher Premiership title. A fortnight later, Handre returns to his home club, the Bulls, where he made his professional debut. The 31-year-old, his pregnant wife Marise, and their son will soon call Pretoria their new home. In 2022, Handre Pollard signed a R14 million-a-year contract with Leicester Tigers. This secured his spot as one of SA's highest-paid rugby players. But will he take a pay cut or earn the same at the Bulls? According to Planet Rugby, the veteran player is likely to earn 'two or three times more' than the average Springbok [around R7million a year]. He is expected to receive the same salary bracket as his club abroad and in the league of big-name Boks like Eben Etzebeth, Cheslin Kolbe, and Siya Kolisi. Handre's earnings will not come from the club but from the Player of National Interest (PONI) contracts that SA Rugby pays. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 . Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp , Facebook , X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
BBC News
a day ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Leicester hold off Sale to reach Premiership final
Gallagher Premiership play-off semi-final, Mattioli Woods Welford Road, LeicesterLeicester (13) 21Tries: Radwan 2, Perese Pens: Pollard 2Sale (3) 16Tries: Du Preez Cons: Ford Pens: Ford 3 Leicester Tigers reached the Premiership final for the second time in four seasons as they edged Sale Sharks 21-16 in a pulsating play-off Pollard and George Ford traded penalties before Adam Radwan's double - including a sensational diving finish - put the dominant hosts 13-3 up at the quickly matched Ford's second penalty, but a Rob du Preez score from a slick move and another three points from Ford brought the Sharks level to tee up a grand Perese's scorching run to the line with his first touch restored the Tigers' lead with 13 minutes remaining and Michael Cheika's men survived intense late pressure to preserve their unbeaten home play-off will now chase a record-extending 12th league title at Twickenham next Saturday when they take on six-time champions Bath in the to Steward, Radwan, Kata, Woodward, Hassell-Collins, Pollard, Van Poortvliet; Smith, Montoya, Hayes, Henderson, Chessum, Liebenberg, Reffell, Clare, Cronin, Cole, Rogerson, Ilione, Youngs, Volavola, Carpenter, Roebuck, Robert du Preez, Ma'asi-White, Reed, Ford, Quirke; Rodd, Cowan-Dickie, Opoku-Fordjour, Van Rhyn, Hill, Tom Curry, Ben Curry, Jean-Luc du McElroy, McIntyre, John, Bamber, Dan du Preez, Warr, James, O'Flaherty.
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Sport
- Telegraph
Rugby's clutch king Handre Pollard: I don't practise that much
In the United States, the term 'clutch' is used to describe players who consistently deliver under the greatest of pressures, usually with the game on the line. If Michael Jordan and Tom Brady were the prime exponents of this skill in the NBA and NFL respectively, then Handre Pollard is rugby's clutch king. The Leicester Tigers fly-half is preparing for a Premiership semi-final against Sale Sharks who will be well aware of his formidable record in a knockout setting. In World Cups, no one has administered more dagger blows than the player they call the Iceman in South Africa. In the 2019 World Cup, Pollard kicked a decisive 76th minute penalty to down Wales in the semi-final before booting a further 22 points in the final against England. Four years later, Pollard kicked a penalty from inside his own half to see the Springboks past France in the quarter-finals. A 78th penalty in the semi-final against England took South Africa to the final where he kicked all their points in a 12-11 victory over New Zealand. Somehow the higher the stakes, the cooler Pollard becomes; he did not miss a single shot at goal in the 2023 World Cup knockout stages where the Springboks recorded three successive one-point victories. 'I do around 20 kicks a week' Whole books and documentaries have been devoted to examining Jordan and Brady's ability to deliver game-winning moments consistently. I have always been fascinated by Pollard's own approach, particularly when it comes to kicking a penalty with the result on the line. In potentially his last interview as a Leicester Tigers player before he joins the Bulls in South Africa, the insight Pollard provides is revealing as much for what he does not do rather than what he does. By fly-half standards, he barely practises kicking in training. 'You probably won't believe me – I will kick twice in the week and maybe on captain's run,' Pollard says. 'I will do around 20 kicks a week. That's it. That's just my process. I have a number in my mind before I start kicking on a day, which is normally between eight and 10 but if I feel good after six I will stop.' By contrast, a typical Premiership fly-half will kick hundreds of times a week. He does not undertake any pre-match visualisation process such as those George Ford, his opposite number on Saturday, swears by. 'Nope, I don't do that. Just kick my kicks,' he says. Nor does he have any mental checklist after he's put the ball on the tee. 'When you are kicking at your best, you are not really thinking about anything. The clearer your mind is, the better – so muscle memory can take over and practice takes over. Whenever you think 'technical stuff' before a kick then you are generally in a bad spot because you are overthinking it. I try to clear the mind as far as I can. It is really not exciting.' 'It just has to be automatic' By his own admission, goal-kicking was never a skill that came naturally. Yet Pollard has not had a personal kicking coach since he was 22 and says his technical process contains no great mysteries. 'It is honestly very simple,' Pollard said. 'First of all you align the ball. If you stuff that up at the beginning then you are in a downward spiral. 'After that it is four steps back and then just focus on planting my foot well and getting my bodyweight through the ball. Kicking is very personal to the individual. It evolves over time, but it is whatever works for you. A lot of it is trial by error until you find something that works for you. After the 2019 World Cup, I changed my run-up from six steps to four steps because the fewer steps you take the less chance of error there is, especially later in games. When you get tired, your run-up can become inconsistent. 'Kicking is a mental thing – probably about 90 per cent mental and 10 per cent technique. If the process is simple and the routine is simple, then the fixes can be simple. If it is overcomplicated then there can be too many things going through your mind. Especially with the shot clocks these days, you don't have time to think about it. It just has to be automatic.' If there is a secret to Pollard's almost supernatural calmness under pressure, it is that he relishes his role as the clutch king and the responsibility that comes with that. It is a peculiar role within a sport with so many moving parts and variables that all the chaos frequently boils down to a goal-kicker's test of nerve. Particularly in a World Cup setting when the hopes of millions rest upon your shoulders, that weight of responsibility can feel crushing to some. Pollard, meanwhile, not just embraces but actively enjoys the prospect of lining up a penalty with the game on the line. 'I absolutely love it,' Pollard said. 'It is what you dream of. You don't dream of taking a kick when you are 20 points up. That's what you grow up wanting to do. You should enjoy that moment. The older you get, that feeling of pressure and excitement, you are not going to find that many more times in your life so you have to cherish it. 'I will say in tight games you have to address that something is going to come in the next few minutes. Some guys might try to shy away from that in their mind thinking someone else might score a try and I won't have to take a kick. But I find if you address it early enough in your mind that it is probably going to come down to a kick then you can relax and enjoy it.' None of this is to say that Pollard is infallible from the tee. This season in the Premiership he is kicking at 85 per cent, second only to Marcus Smith among frontline goalkickers, but he has had plenty of down seasons. While he says every miss 'p----- him off', he also has learnt to process those failures in a way that Jonny Wilkinson, the previous clutch king, was never able to. 'You can't dwell on them too long or look into it much,' Pollard said. 'If you miss, then you have to move on. You will kill yourself if you look back at your misses too often. Fortunately in rugby, you get to kick a few times in the game.' The 31-year-old vividly remembers missing three shots at goal in the 2015 World Cup quarter-final against Wales. 'A couple of my senior team-mates said to me 'we will back you no matter what so keep going' and I ended up getting a drop-goal,' Pollard said. 'When your team-mates back you and give you that confidence then you know what you are capable of. 'Again it is a privilege that you can be that guy for your team, whoever you are representing. You have to make your peace with it that it is not going to come off every single time. Life does not work that way. Once you accept that it takes a lot of pressure off.'
The South African
15-05-2025
- Sport
- The South African
'RIP my brother': Handre Pollard remembers Cornal Hendricks
Springbok flyhalf and former Bulls player Handre Pollard has paid tribute to his late teammate Cornal Hendricks, who tragically died of a heart attack at the age of 37 years old. The rugby player was diagnosed with a heart condition a decade ago. Meanwhile, Pollard is set to return to the Pretoria club after playing abroad for the last five years. In an Instagram Story, Handre Pollard posted an image of himself alongside his former Bulls teammate, Cornal Hendricks. 'RIP my brother', he captioned the post. Handre Pollard and the late Cornal Hendricks. Image via Instagram: @handrepollard The late rugby player joined the Pretoria club in 2019 – the year in which Pollard left the club – where he played until last year. Hendriks played with the likes of stars like Duane Vermeulen, RG Snyman, and Marco van Staden. Cornal Hendricks also represented South Africa, initially as part of the Sevens squad from 2012-2014. From 2014- 2015, he made 12 test match appearances for the Springboks. Meanwhile, Bulls boss Edgar Rathbone shared his condolences to the family of Cornal Hendricks. He said in a statement, 'We are deeply saddened and still trying to come to terms with the passing of Cornal, a loved member of the Loftus family who was more than a talented player. 'He knew how to deliver just the right dose of energy to help lift a room. He was an iconic teammate, a friend for many seasons, and an inspirational figure in the locker room. 'A brother, a son, and an inspiration to both the old and young. A man with such an infectious smile that brightened our world, and above all, we knew Cornal as a proud dad to his young kids.' 'We offer our heartfelt condolences to his family, his wife, children, and everyone else who is affected by his untimely and tragic death. A special player who defied all the odds and became our inspiration for everyone, may he rest in perfect peace.' Minister of Sport, Art and Culture Gayton McKenzie also remembered the fallen star. In a social media post, he shared: 'Rest in perfect peace, Cornal Hendricks, you have made your mark by inspiring many. Death be not proud'. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 . Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp , Facebook , X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
The South African
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The South African
Springboks: Kolisi and daughter share beautiful moment
Siya Kolisi and his daughter shared a special moment after the Springboks won the 2023 World Cup semifinal against England. Her response is relatable. A picture is worth a thousand words, and there are almost no words needed here. The closing stages of South Africa's win over England were tense and would have manifested themselves very differently on everybody's faces. What a tense semi-final that was, ultimately clinched by the clutch goal-kicking abilities of Handre Pollard. Rassie Erasmus is an expert in opposition analysis, psychological mind games and precise man-management. He has no issue getting under the skin of the Springboks' adversaries, but more crucially, he's a consummate professional on a human level, taking an interest in the lives of his players and their families. He makes everyone feel included, special and valuable. That is a gift. Always innovating and improving, the 52-year-old would love to do the unthinkable and guide South Africa to a three-peat of World Cup wins. Click for more What are your memories of that nail-biting semi with England? Let us know by leaving a comment below or sending a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211. Also, subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
