Springbok flyhalf Handre Pollard is confident that he can kick South Africa to victory over New Zealand at Loftus on Saturday.
Pollard struggled with his kicking earlier in the competition, but was better when they upset the All Blacks in Wellington and had a 100 percent return in last weekend’s 23-12 win over Australia.
He says he battled with a month-long break between the end of his Super Rugby campaign with the Bulls and the start of the Rugby Championship.
Pollard explains: “I think I just lost my rhythm a bit.
“I worked hard at it, and it didn’t come back straight away, but thankfully the last couple of games have been a lot better.
“It just required some small tweaks, and I had to keep in mind that you’re going to have your off days and that it happens to the best in the world.
“I’ve worked with some kicking coaches at the beginning of my career, but as you go on, you know exactly what you’re doing wrong when you’re making mistakes, and it’s just about getting back into the routine and rhythm.”
Of facing New Zealand’s Beauden Barrett, he adds: “The best player in the world with 70-odd Test matches doesn’t feel too much pressure.
“He’s a confident guy and he might have also had a couple of off days in the past, I’m sure he’ll be 100 percent."