Pollard, who made it onto the field after the Bok brains trust opted to substitute Manie Libbok after half an hour, said he didn't expect to see action so early but that he was ready for the eventuality.
“You have to be ready but you don't expect to come on before halftime. Just try to do my thing. They always say it can happen to anybody,” he said about being replaced in the first half. “It happened to me in the past. If it happens it happens.”
Before the Bok scrum gave them traction at a slippery Stade de France the Boks looked in real danger of being knocked out.
The Fat Lady had cleared her throat, when the Boks, 15-6 down with 11 minutes to go, mustered all they had not just to drag themselves back into the contest, but to win it 16-15 to set up a final against old foes New Zealand.
A converted RG Snyman try in the 69th minute off the back of an attacking line-out and a 78th-minute penalty from Pollard helped secure a nervy win.
Earlier, though, in the damp and chill of Paris the Boks were unable to keep their powder dry. Their Bomb Squad detonated in the nick of time.
The scrumming pyrotechnics were provided by Ox Nché who dominated the loose head side, while tight head Vincent Koch and tireless hooker Bongi Mbonambi played their part too. Snyman too helped the Boks lengthen their stride on a memorable night in Paris.
‘I knew that was the job I had to do. Luckily it came off’: Pollard on that kick
Converting the deciding kick in a Rugby World Cup knock-out game is something you dream of from the time you're a little boy, Handré Pollard reminded after his heroics in the Springboks' dramatic 16-15 win over England on Saturday.
Pollard nervelessly raised the flags from near the halfway line as the Boks profited from another scrum penalty to snatch a late win in their World Cup semifinal against England at the Stade de France.
Pollard, who did the same with a few minutes to go in the Boks' 19-16 win over Wales in Yokohama at the same stage of the tournament four years ago, seems to take perverse pleasure from those moments when pressure is at its most extreme. He also slotted a crucial penalty from halfway in the quarterfinal win by a point against France last week.
“Uh ... he's got a big set of nuts on him,” loose head prop Steven Kitshoff said with a mischievous smile when asked about the kick that got the Boks into the final four years ago.
Pollard said: “I enjoy those moments. As a young kid you live for those moments.
“It is just a privilege to have the opportunity to do that on the biggest stage. I enjoy that. It is not always going to come off but you try your best every time. Fortunately it came off in this game.”
Pollard said he felt good about the kick before lining it up after the Boks earned another scrum penalty. He had, after all, been in a state of mental readiness.
“Leading up to the last few minutes of the game you know it might come down to something like that,” he said.
There were gusts of wind, before and during the semifinal. The roof of the Stade de France, which in large part is detached from the main structure, allows breezes to swirl inside the stadium.
“There was a bit of a cross/back wind in the second half. So it was actually all right and helped a bit. The wind didn't do too much. Just a misty rain all night. It's a bit slippery so it is hard to kick it perfectly but it came off nicely.”
Pollard said he had no flashbacks from the Wales win Yokohama as he lined up his kick in Paris.
“Not really. You are so in the moment and have so much adrenaline running in you at that stage. You just try to stay in the moment with kicks like that.
“Not much went through my head at that moment to be honest. I knew that is the job that I have to do. Luckily it came off.”
He paid tribute to the forwards who had helped lay the platform, albeit belatedly.
“That scrum was huge,” said Pollard about the penalty near halfway that presented him a shot at glory. “You are not certain of it but the boys put in a big shift there. It was just unbelievable to get that pen there. Our scrum was unreal, it saved us. It definitely saved us.
“It is such a blessing to have such an impact off the bench. The guys who started did a great job too.”
Pollard, who made it onto the field after the Bok brains trust opted to substitute Manie Libbok after half an hour, said he didn't expect to see action so early but that he was ready for the eventuality.
“You have to be ready but you don't expect to come on before halftime. Just try to do my thing. They always say it can happen to anybody,” he said about being replaced in the first half. “It happened to me in the past. If it happens it happens.”
Before the Bok scrum gave them traction at a slippery Stade de France the Boks looked in real danger of being knocked out.
The Fat Lady had cleared her throat, when the Boks, 15-6 down with 11 minutes to go, mustered all they had not just to drag themselves back into the contest, but to win it 16-15 to set up a final against old foes New Zealand.
A converted RG Snyman try in the 69th minute off the back of an attacking line-out and a 78th-minute penalty from Pollard helped secure a nervy win.
Earlier, though, in the damp and chill of Paris the Boks were unable to keep their powder dry. Their Bomb Squad detonated in the nick of time.
The scrumming pyrotechnics were provided by Ox Nché who dominated the loose head side, while tight head Vincent Koch and tireless hooker Bongi Mbonambi played their part too. Snyman too helped the Boks lengthen their stride on a memorable night in Paris.
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