After missing four of seven kicks in the Bulls' 22-21 semifinal win over Glasgow, Pollard has been refreshingly straight about it — 'I was terrible last weekend' — while making clear it's not a mental wobble. He's identified specific technical adjustments he believes can be corrected quickly, and his approach to training reflects that: at this stage of his career he's a rhythm kicker, not a volume one, and he'll stop once he feels right rather than grinding through reps. With a URC Final against Leinster in Dublin up next, the piece essentially asks whether Pollard's hard-won composure — the kind forged in World Cup knockout rugby — is enough to back up his calm self-assessment when the stakes are highest.