VIDEO: An inspiring speech from an unlikely source
WATCH as double World Cup-winning Springbok flyhalf Handre Pollard lifts the lid on a crucial half-time chat during last year’s RWC in France.
In an interview on the Big Jim Show, Pollard revisits that semifinal clash against England where he replaced Manie Libbok before half-time.
The Springboks were struggling to build momentum in that match and they eventually went into the break 6-12 behind.
However, Jacques Nienaber’s side fought back with the help of some of their bench players and of course Pollard’s match-winning penalty kick in the 78th minute.
Pollard said it was an inspiring half-time message from the unlikeliest of sources that helped provide the spark for the second half.
“Pieter-Steph [du Toit] had a few words to say at half-time and he is a guy who never really speaks a lot, so that was interesting and I think we needed it at the time,” said Pollard.
Big Jim Show host Jim Hamilton responded by saying: “What did he say because that is a big thing? You look at him, he is one of the greatest players playing the game and a phenomenal athlete, but he is very quiet.”
Pollard added: “It wasn’t a lot and it was in Afrikaans.
“He just got up and he basically told us: ‘Listen, we just got to wake up and we got to get fire under our ar**s. We just got to wake up and fight. Do we want to go home tomorrow or do want to be in this tournament and play in the Final next week?’
“That is basically all he said, which was obvious.
“We were all thinking it, but no one was thinking it through at that moment.
“For a guy who is quite reserved to say that just really hit home for a lot of us and we got the reaction off the back of that.”
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