Handre Pollard was characteristically unfazed when reflecting on his nightmare kicking display in the semifinal comeback win over Glasgow — missed kicks, yellow card and all. In this piece, Gavin Rich gets Pollard's take on how he resets between big games: less about flogging himself on the training paddock, more about finding rhythm and trusting a process that's delivered under the heaviest pressure before. Pollard identifies a couple of minor technical tweaks but frames them as easily fixed, and insists kicking isn't a confidence issue for him — each attempt simply stands alone. The broader Bulls narrative here is interesting too: this is a group that has repeatedly clawed its way out of holes this season, and Pollard sees that semifinal 21-3 deficit and recovery as a character-building asset rather than a warning sign heading into their fourth URC final in five years. On Leinster, he's respectful — specifically flagging Gibson-Park's kicking game from nine as a major threat — but the message is clear that the Bulls aren't travelling to Dublin just to make up the numbers.
Pollard backs himself to fire in Dublin despite semifinal kicking horror show
Pollard plays down his semifinal kicking meltdown, explains his rhythm-based reset process, and outlines why the Bulls believe their season-long resilience gives them a genuine shot at finally winning the URC title against Leinster in Dublin.
White: This Bulls squad is better equipped — and they know they can't waste this chance
Jake White makes a personnel-driven case for a Bulls upset on Friday, pointing to five returning Test-calibre starters as the difference from last year's final — while urging the squad to treat this as the chance they may not get again.
Papier and Hanekom shine, but Pollard's costly night almost derails Bulls' URC final march
Papier and Hanekom earn 8s as the standouts in a Bulls comeback win that nearly unravelled thanks to Pollard's sin-bin and a string of missed penalties — Planet Rugby's player ratings break down who delivered and who didn't in a tense semi-final.
Klopper starts at tighthead as Bulls name experienced XV for Glasgow semifinal
Francois Klopper starts at tighthead ahead of Wilco Louw as the Bulls name 11 Springboks in their starting XV for Saturday's URC semifinal against Glasgow Warriors at Murrayfield, with Marcell Coetzee and Johan Grobbelaar both reaching personal milestones in the match.
Coetzee backs Pollard and Le Roux to be Bulls' difference-makers against Munster
Coetzee identifies Pollard and Le Roux as the Bulls' play-off X-factors against Munster, arguing that World Cup-hardened composure — not past final appearances — is what will matter at Loftus on Saturday.
What Bordeaux's Champions Cup demolition of Leinster means for SA's URC finals hopes
Rich uses Bordeaux's physical demolition of Leinster as a lens on SA's URC finals prospects — arguing the Stormers cost themselves and their SA counterparts dearly by failing to secure second place, while flagging a scrumhalf depth problem that extends beyond the URC and straight into Erasmus's Bok planning.