So Handre Pollard is the best player in the world at knock-out rugby. Here's why.
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- čas přidán 29. 04. 2024
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If the modern Boks were one man, they might just be him. Last autumn, Handre Pollard became the first fly-half to ever win two World Cups Finals and nailed himself in as arguably the Springboks' greatest-ever 10. So what makes Pollard amongst the best players in history at knock-out matches, and why is he so important to the Springboks?
If you've enjoyed any of the channel's content, you can also support Squidge Rugby on Patreon by visiting / squidgerugby , so I can hire a man to teach me to kick goals and befriend Faf de Klerk - Sport
Wow, saw the notification and rescheduled my circumcision
Thats crazy man
just a lil off the sides?
How are you planning on having it done.....with a local anesthetic, a touch of dormicum or like a real man, wide awake, a shot of whisky and a stick between your teeth so you don't bite your tongue off.
Quick tip, stay away from the peanut butter jar for the first 2 weeks, can get pretty messy.
Bruh
Dude, you say his kick success percentage is 74% regularly and that he had 100% successful kicks in the knockout stage of 2023 RWC but let’s not forget that he had 100% for the whole tournament not just in knockout. An unbelievable performance.
Saying his whole tournament adds 1 extra pool game… against Tonga. Doesn’t really make it more impressive tbh and im a Saffa
@@martin-ulrichreinecke8762 makes it impressive considering he kicked like 6 conversions in that one game
And what is his percentage creating tries...0.1% compares that against brilliant FLYHALVES
@@meeshnozigqwaba8972 he must WORK on his distribution and to CREATE opportunities for his outside backs and STOP kicking possession away, the referees not always going to favour the Boks.
@@meeshnozigqwaba8972 yeah relatively easy non pressure kicks, but you missed the point Squidge was trying to make. Which is that he ups his game when there is more pressure, that is why he mentioned that hes 100% in the knockouts. It proves he excels under pressure.
Handre goddamn Pollard... nuf said
But somehow a below average Briljantjies was chosen over him.
Hit the notification quicker than Rassie subbed Libbok
No comment 💀
Too soon bro.
😭😭
Bra gee hom 4 jaar
Dan sub hom weer (dis n joke)
Savage.
You describing Pollard scanning the game in the first 5 minutes is like how Sir Alex Ferguson described the way Paolo Maldini played in one game, scanning without making a tackle
Maldini my fav player as a kid. Thanks for this comparison
@@KiloPage777 , he was my favorite too. Slide tackling someone and standing up in the same movement was insane
Squidge is a fraud and you're all gullible fools. All first fives scan the field. It's not something unique to Handre. It's just typical Squidge soy observations making a big deal over nothing. He's a good kicker. End of story. He will not go down as one of the greats.
@@darnellengelbrecht4400😂😂😂 You people are just too funny. Like you've never ever played rugby before. That is a nothing skill. See Beauden Barrett for skills. He's got them all. Including scoring tries. A big skill missing from Handre Pollards pitiful arsenal. He thinks attack is what lions do.
@@JaemanEdwards rather just go and sit down. What happened to the all black whingers in 2023
That smooth slide into an advert was crazy
get youtube premium dude
Both his parents were teachers of mine. If you know them you'll understand why Handré is the great person and player he is.
Yeah I heard his mom used to brag about his him while he was in high school still.
waar gee hulle skool? in die Paarl?
@@lm_b5080 I'm talking about the 1990s. In Somerset West.
It's about time Pollard is spoken about as one of the greats
😂😂😂 Said absolutely no one but one eyed Saffas. He's a good kicker. End of. Handre thinks attack is what lions do.
@@JaemanEdwardsGod you're boring and I'm a kiwi
@@JaemanEdwardseww
@@seektruth5750 I know. Eating arse is unhygienic and weasely.
@@JaemanEdwards God, what a loser mate. It's sad. Stop.
If you've ever watched Chasing The Sun you'll understand how much faith them boys have in Polly. He really is Mr Ice Cold 🥶
He is such a legend. Fun fact he also became a dad less than a week ago. Nothing but love for him
Not a legend in world rugby. Definitely not. A one trick pony.
@@JaemanEdwardswow, so edgy
@@JacoJohan46664 In what way ? Fk does that mean anyway little boy ?
@@JaemanEdwards I don’t argue with morons, sorry.
@@JaemanEdwardsyou can comment under all comments to try to discredit him, but you’re going to end up here, comments section. He is him .
Heyneke was a excellent coach and talent scout, same as Jake and people seem to forget the value that they added to our game.
Heyneke Meyer was an excellent coach at the Bulls, but the Springboks went backwards under his control. We beat the All Blacks 5 times in a RWC cycle under PdV, including a record 3 times in a row and all in the same season, and reduced ourselves to a team who were the first to lose to Argentina on home soil and an infamous loss to Japan. Coetzee deserves all the criticism he gets, but let us never forget that the rot started before he got there.
By far the greatest CZcams ad I’ve watched. I have NO NEED for Squarespace.
But I am now considering how I can fit it into my life somehow.
😂
"Willie Leroux will make you a website if you ask nicely"😂
when I was 8 in 2019 he broke my heart when he denied Wales that final. It really hurt me for ages, (I'm over it now) since then I've always rated him as then best ten in rugby. Recently I've even come to support him. Still am a strong Wales supporter though.
Lucky for you The Springboks' 2024 season is bookended by two tests against Wales!
He has broken many hearts 😢mine as well when he put England out of the semis. If there's one man to rely on under pressure Handre is him
You obviously still have the rugby knowledge of a 8 yr old.
@@JaemanEdwardsand you have the maturity of an 8 year old as well
@@devongarvie6261 You have the pnis of a 8 yr old 😂
Having the last frame be Pollard and Steyn hugging was genius. Glad i caught that!
I shed a tear
So many Leicester Tigers losses feel like wins, because of pollard - he honestly just oozes class, composure and leadership. Never looks phased, does things at his own pace, makes good decisions most times and what a reliable boot. He's not a small guy either, not afraid to play crashing Flyhalf role everyone in a while.
Squidge rugby is just pure entertainment!
Never to be taken serious. I mean, he's a nobody with a computer.
@@JaemanEdwardsno, that’s who you are bro
@@devongarvie6261 Ooh. Squidges soy army comin for me. 😂 What are ya ? British, Irish, or South African ? Cause you're the main worriers in his army. 😂 Kiwis tune in to laugh at his pulled from his arse rugby theories. And you gullible fools lap it right up. 😂
@@JaemanEdwardsWhy you on here then ? Your comments are spiteful and not needed on here .
@@kev63inuk I just love letting you soy boy fans know this fact. He's a nobody to real rugby people.
As a South African who didn't love Morne Steyn, I knew Pollard was our future of our team. Actually I prayed he was. This was before he even got his first Springbok cap. I was right, and the coaches let him cook. He is all round. He is an ice man. He is a champion. Thank you for this appreciation video!
You don't like the greatest kicker of all time? 😢
Handre Pollard is a PLODDER in comparison to the attacking skills of Manie Libbok Rassie Erasmus enforces a game plan that suits his OVERRATED white players like Pollard and Faf de Klerk
Definitely not alround. He's a one trick pony. A boring but effective trick.
@@blaquenguni9249this NOT soccer RUGBY is a game where skillfull players create TRIES and he doesn't know what attacking RUGBY is. He is a PLODDER in comparison to the attacking skills of Manie Libbok
Morras is a legend
You've made me understand rugby
😂😂😂 This guy
As a South African we grew up on Naas Botha and as a kid that is bloody all you did in the backyard imagine the post and kick as accurate as can to between to windows at home knowing your ass wiping was close should it go wrong. And this is part of SA DNA although many has said that running with ball is winning rugby and it maybe but in SA kick between the bloody windows all day and everyday 🎉🎉🎉 thanks for the vid
If you understand how big the school rugby game between Paarl Gim and Paarl Boys High is, to understand how Pollard became so bloody good and cool as ice. It is said to be the biggest crowd attendance in the world for a school game around 26,000 I think and that's full capacity. Crazy scenes
That's not good logic coz they haven't made another Pollard. If they were churning them out every 5 years I might agree
Yet Hamilton Boys kicked Grays arse last year. Better up that schoolboy game Saffas.
@@JaemanEdwards 4 world cups...
@@ElliotCousins Don't score many tries and only won due to rugby's sissy laws. I would not be very proud of that. Great resolve though. No denying that.
@@ElliotCousins It was so funny watching Carlos Spencers son carve Greys up. The Saffas were saying he learned how to play rugby in South Africa (he lived there for many years as a kid) and were trying to claim him.
You are the GOAT at this, dude
Great video. I remember watching pollard as a 17 yr old. He played with his brain even at that young age.
I vividly remember 2014 against NZ in Jo'burg... After what felt like an eternity of predictable typical SA 10's, you could tell things were going to be different with Pollard immediately. Where so many new players crumble against the AB's, Pollard used his first few touches to just take them on, cutting lines and getting physical. It was a thing of beauty and rejuvenated my excitement in the Boks.
Excellent piece, excellent points. No one quite akin to Pollard. And......he could make the next WC
An absolute genius creative since I first saw him play 12 for my team the Bulls. Pollard is majorly underrated. Thank you for this video Squidgy
😂😂😂 Never ever heard Handre described like that. If he's a genius what's Beauden Barrett ? Cause Handre can't do half the things Barrett or Mounga can do. Just a good organiser and kicker. That's not genius.
@@JaemanEdwards Pollard is a genius, he won the 2023 world cup, your so called geniuses did not. Isn't it amazing that your geniuses could not perform after BIG BROTHER was introduced. No cynical fouls and cheating. WOW how rugby has changed for the better and I seem to remember mounga being hauled off the field in the WC final. Please let me know if I was wrong
@@derekallan1341 A genius ? He's a good kicker and game manager. That's it. Zero running and very average passing game. He will not go down as one of the greats. And only a South African thinks the sissy new laws are good. It suits their cowardly style of rugby.
I remember Meyer saying something beautiful when he was the Boks coach: "I think if you put someone under enough pressure, you get a diamond." Or something like that. Anyway, Pollard is a diamond.
As a Bok fan, I have to say I don't remember Meyer saying anything beautiful or intelligent. He wasn't quite as bad as AC (duh!), but he sent SA rugby backwards.
@@Karma-qt4ji No doubt, a terrible coach for the boks but a nice phrase
@@Karma-qt4ji you are sending SA rugby backwards!!!! Meyer had to deal with full scale political intervention and weren't it for a few sceptical refereeing decisions could well have also held a WC. Rather go to your dunce corner
@@dguap1359 you are sending SA rugby backwards!!!! Meyer had to deal with full scale political intervention and weren't it for a few sceptical refereeing decisions could well have also held a WC. Rather go to your dunce corner
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To be honest, Pieter Steph oud toit is on like the same level as Pollard, bro just finds himself in the biggest game of his life and becomes unplayable. Strong Dusatoir vibes off him.
It’s just different kinds of beast, honestly that game was a masterclass at least 4 players you could nominate for man of the match but yeah if not Pollard psdt deserves it. This man can run you down from Friday till next year and not be tired of it. As a 10 I would file a restraining order mid game cause that’s just not playable 😂 Farwell and ford probably still have ptsd
Unplayable, Unforgiving and Unstoppable.
Thanks for that. My favourite player, by a country mile. Much like Dan Carter and Jonny Wilkinson, Pollard has enormous talent, yet remains very humble and quiet.
He turned the Bok tide in the last WC.
I'm not fan of rugby and rarely watch it ,but your channel is amazing. Your analysis which is fare and your enthusiasm makes me want to watch it more.
Very strange comment
@@JaemanEdwards I think he is trying to say that he does not like new zealand rugby
As a Welshman, there is no Bok I dislike more on a visceral level than Handre fucking Pollard. He's such a phenomenal player and he ended our world cup hopes in 2019 in half a game, but most specifically 30 seconds.
I appreciate him. I really do. But fuck me do I hate him for that.
Don’t blame you mate honestly that wales game was so brutal to watch and even the last several games against wales always come down to the wire. Admire the grit that team shows and phenomenal players for how shitty the wru is, they deserve better.
As a South African, I have to say that I completely understand and respect that attitude.
There is no higher compliment.
But years down the line, when you have your littluns watching rugby, you can tell them of this one bastard of a Springbok that just ruined your soul.
There is no higher compliment.
I'm a Kiwi. We don't hate Handre Pollard. We just dont rate him. He would never ever have made the All Blacks if he were Kiwi.
@@randomlyfactual1943"Ruined your soul" 😂😂😂 You Saffas are such dorks.
Saw him play at school level. Big boy, ran straight, kicked well. Didn't think he'd be a superstar. That's why Rassie's coach, not me.
Didn’t like him in the 2015 WC felt like Lambie was just more composed and his kicking more refined. Till 2019 when I realised hold on, I was giving him kak for laying rugby tennis and being sloppy with it but those very mistakes made him a machine. It’s like Pollard saw what happened to Lambie and decided to become the kicking under pressure god as revenge for South Africa and all is fans who miss Lambie. Makes me proud to now call him the general.
Perhaps Heineke Meyer deserves all your praise for seeing the potential and knowing how to get it out of him...
Handre Pollard is a smooth operator and a genius..
Brilliant analysis. You missed those two solo tries against the All Blacks at Ellis Park. Phenomenal.
I remember seeing Pollard for the first time in 2015 and asking myself what Meyer saw in such a young man, that was until I saw Pollard play in the 2015 rugby world cup, he's been my favourite 10 since then.
Absolute best rugby channel. Insightful, origional, watchable and just over the top brilliant. Keep at it!
Thank you! Very kind, and appreciated!
What a fantastic presentation of our great player
Pollard is one of the great players of all time. I know many people are resistant to this, simply because he is a springbok. The man is consistent. Knowing that every try will be 7 rather than 5 points, and every penalty will net 3 points. Add to that the man's strategic mind and you have a top tier skipper.
It's kind of crazy that the team with the most world cup wins ever has the least "great" players in the publics opinion. It just makes zero sense and goes to show that when you're the best everyone hates you.
Sadly it's not WORKING at Leister tigers where he is just a normal flyhalve that brings NOTHING.
@@KiloPage777 ask yourselves why? They rely too much on mistakes from the MATCH OFFICIALS with their kick and hope RUGBY.
Squidge you are fantastic
Great content as always. Really glad you made this I had been saying for months that our World Cup was dependant on Pollards fitness. But somehow even many South Africans (mainly from Cape Town) were even opposed to him being called up when he was. Just glad he was able to prove his worth. I think with his playing style he could make another 4 years and possibly do the 3-peat.
As a capey i think you got your bulls balls in a knot we always rated him he learned his rugby in CT
@@ronnievorster6361 don’t support the bulls…….and live in Cape Town mate……that’s how I know yall were whining (with your boi mallet) at the prospect of him getting called up.
there is no comparison between your clown libiok and Pollard. It's like comparing the court jester to the KING
The Ice Man. Legend. One of the best ever!
If ever there was someone I’d never bet on to miss under pressure, it’s him!
Handré Pollard is the GOAT 10 for a RWC. Once in a generation talent. South Africa will win most likely another RWC with Pollard.
I never saw Pollard attempt to score a try from close in when it is not on, like most players. Not that he doesn't take on defences, he does and is bloody good at it, just a clever and leader of a 10 who invariably makes the right decisions, and does so consistently.
Thank you for making the video ! Respect to Handre
Your best work yet gents!!
That is great quality in the junior world cup final footage!
What a tribute! Unbelievable work boys!
Lol I'm listening to this from Somerset West! What a legend, thanks for doing this
I'm an ex Somerset West boy living in Australia now - migrated in 2000 - I went to Beaumont Primary school - actually was the first sub A class back when the school first opened in 1975 - I see your profile has a muso photo - my son is a big talented upcoming musician in Melbourne - anyway I may live in AUS but still support the boks 200% every time
The timing of this is crazy. As a saffa who is now living in England, I’ve not been able to watch the new Chasing the Sun, so I’ve obviously watched the first one again recently. I was thinking how underrated he actually is. Pollard speaks in his interviews the same way he plays his game. He is the epitome of calm, collected and cool. This homage to him is absolutely on point, like his kicking. The feeling of security when Polly steps up for a kick is one of the finest feelings of safety as a South African. Security and safety is a big deal to us. Handré is a true legend.
Very well done. A genius revealed, Handre God damn Pollard. I thoroughly enjoyed this. Please do Malcolm Marx next. Another seminal rugby player.
It's about time Handre gets the recognition thanx guys for a perfect video remember he also had 100% kicking rate in the final of 2019 he is my hero 100%South African proudly
In many ways I'm thankful he joined late. Imagine if Springboks won the pool game against Ireland, we would have been deprived of that incredible QF against France, and given how the All Blacks just about peaked the day before, the boks might even have been eliminated.
I love Polly, I really do, but I find some of my countrymen unreasonably generous when it comes to Handre's skills. The automatic assumption that we would have beaten Ireland because he would have kicked the goals we missed, without considering the fact that the entire game would have been different.
There is no doubt at all that Pollard's boot won us the title again, but there is equally no doubt that when he took the field, our backline ceased to exist as an attacking force. We reverted back to 2019 rugby because the weather forced us to, and in that style, Handre was always going to be king. In a nutshell, we won the final because we were able to do to New Zealand what England nearly did to us.
I've been a CZcams lurker for many years. Today I clicked "Subscribe" for the first time ever. There is no-one else on God's green Earth that explains rugby as concisely and as comprehensively as Squidge Rugby. To somewhat abstrusely paraphrase Douglas Adams' "The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy", it is possible that the best way to thank you guys may be obscenely biological.
Simply brilliant, thanks Squidge!
Thank you, Squidge. Whole new respect for Pollard. As a South African, I have always thought him good and safe, but never quite realised how good until now. Spot on.
I don't know how old you are, fam. I remember growing up and everyone telling me how great Naas Botha was. I knew he was a next level goal kicker and the drop goal king. But everyone who talked about him always talked about the way he would read a game. He had this instinctive knowledge of when a certain opposition player was going to be out of position, whether he would make a knock on, or whatever. And Naas played that game better than anyone else.
Seeing Pollard now makes me understand what they had meant.
I think it’s safe to say, we were waiting for this one.
Unreal analysis as always. Thank you
Brilliant! Thank you
Excellent review 👏
Well put together 💯🙌🏾
Brilliant, really enjoyed this
That is probably the biggest compliment you can give the guy. Other flyhalves focuses on who wins man of the match, Handre focuses on winning the game. He is the South African special recipe and pide and joy!!
Whenever you say "Handre Goddam Pollard" I know you about to cook 🔥
Excellent breakdown of my favorite player of all time
😂😂😂
@@JaemanEdwards I take it, that you didn’t have anything intelligent to add.
An honest admission … if a bit pointless
@@JTM1809 He just trolls. Nothing positive to add.
It's so funny that a player with zero running and minimal passing game is your GOAT. He wouldn't even make the top 10 best fly halves.
@@spervuurproduksies Who me ? Never.
great analysis
What a legend! Thanks Squidge!
So love and appreciate your work
Yassss!! Such a clutch player.
He does the job like a true flyhalf - the General! Great post mate. Love it!
Awesome one guys!! You’re legends👊🏻
Pollard is world class! Thank you for an excellent video!
Love your work !
Love it! Thanks from SA
Great video. Seen him a few times, he was sublime every time.
As very much a rugby novice, even I've noticed but wait, this guy is really good in the way he reads the game and adapts, and especially sees angles. No doubt that's also one of the reasons why he's a good kicker and vice versa. I couldnt quite describe it but this video articulates it well.
You are a legend young man 🙌🙌🙌
Awesome video. Loved it
Rugby analysis on the next level - always something to learn and appreciate from Squidge which enriches future games...wonderful 20 minutes...thank you
Great review. I agree with your assessment.
Wow. What a video. Well done 🎉❤
In a weird way he kinda embodies the South African condition. In regular times we are a bunch of riotous people, but in the crisis is when we really come into our own and double down and Do not think about faliure. We just DO. And if it doesn’t work we make a plan.
Awesome stuff
Absolutely brilliant player!
That 2012 final was one of my favorite rugby matches ever
Awesome video!
Great video mate. Big Pollie lover here. You just made my case! Thanks
Great Vid squidger….thank you
Yeah, spot on! Well done. 👌🏻😁
This is just the best Rugby show of all time. After playing for 18 years and being a lifelong Rugby fan, I can say this with confidence.
Probably greatest 10 now. Hard to say as a kiwi but the guy is incredible
Good job 🎉
Your comparison between Pollard and Libbok is spot on! Speaking from personal experience, I once supported a coloured friend's rugby dream wholeheartedly, even building and hosting a website for his club, only to be labeled a racist when I praised Pollard's prowess on the field. It's disheartening to see racism persist in SA rugby, often overlooked at the club level. Losing a friend over such baseless accusations is regrettable, but standing against racism is non-negotiable. Let's strive for a rugby community that celebrates talent regardless of race.
Libbok case I don’t think is that much racism as people that don’t understand rugby talking kak. Anyone who understands rugby sees that libbok is at a stage where he is a rare gem waiting to be refined by the pressure. It saddens me cause the man literally had the biggest boots to fill during a bloody World Cup and honestly he filled those boots better than anyone would have. Man has like 10 caps to his name and was thrown into the arena with his barehands and he still held the spot until the general came to finish the job.
It’s a self fulfilling prophecy, if couch warriors who’s never come within 6ft of a springbok jearsy stopped talking kak and just gave him the support he did he would have done much better and fact is he still did an amazing job. End of the day the people that know the least are always the ones talking the most kak which makes sense cause the rest of us that know what we looking at are just watching quietly and all we have to say is “LET HIM COOOOOOK”. He’s kicking got the Stormers a URC title so he can do it but when you have millions of idiots talking nonsense it plays with you added to the pressure of being in the knockout of a RWC few months after your debut that’s tough. All these idiots would have caved on day one so honestly if Manie just takes it in his stride and survives the haters then just watch, next cycle they’ll be praising him having forgot all the kak they threw. I honestly talked kak at first until I looked at the bigger picture and saw what I saw. That cross kick against Scotland is extremely hard to do yet he did it without even looking just sensing where the ball needs to go like he does this on every day that ends with y. When I saw that I was like hold on, this guy has something we missing.
@@dreammaker9642 I agree people knowing little about rugby talk the most kak. Like your reply, I never said Libbok wasnt good, I said Pollard is better. If you dont like it, live with it.
@@chrissmit6439 Bruh just because I responded to your comment doesn’t mean I’m challenging what you said 😂 relax buddy go have a beer or something 😂 I was adding to what you were saying cause yes that’s possible, you don’t have to be on edge and be hostile. If that’s how you were treating your friends then perhaps race had nothing with your fall apart. Anyway, hope it works out for you but honestly relax not every response is an attack. The fact you never said libbok was kak and I never said Pollard wasn’t better should have been your first clue that I was more building on what you were saying but I’ll assume you dealing with something else that has you on edge so no hard feelings bud. Have a fresh beer for me and calm yourself🍻 cheers
I really like your videos
Yeah, Pollard is class! Great video, mate.
Im just disappointed that his title of 'God damned' wasnt in the title squidge 😂😂😂
Quick correction there Squidge. The Junior Boks won the WC under Jake White. I think Clyde Rathbone was captain at the time if my memory serves me correctly.
Granted it was still U19 & U21 at the time but it was a junior WC nonetheless.
Great show as usual Squidge. 😊
Handrè is a Legend 😊
When Pollard burst onto the scene the Kiwis commented on what a good tackler he was and how he took the ball to the line. He does that less now with Damian playing that role but he's really good at it.
Well said. That man is a hero in his own right.
your add cuts are legendary 😂
Brilliant