A "crazy" All Blacks fan is so confident that New Zealand is going to win the 2019 Rugby World Cup, that he has already got a tattoo branding the team this year's winner.
Masterton man Shaun Pollard, who is a massive All Blacks and Hurricanes fan, shared a photo of a recent Webb Ellis Cup tattoo he got along with the years the All Blacks have won — including 2019, which hasn't been awarded yet.
The 37-year-old married father of two told the Herald he got the entire tattoo on Tuesday and had no doubt that the All Blacks will win this year's Rugby World Cup.
"I'm backing them 100% like I always have ... If you're a loyal fan, you believe they're going to win. If you doubt yourself, you're not going to win, are you", he said.
Speaking about the post, which he is shocked has gone viral, he said that he has taken any negative comments on the chin.
"If someone can say [anything negative] to another All Black supporter, well themselves aren't really All Black supporters."
When asked what his plan was if the All Blacks don't win the Rugby World Cup he said: "I honestly haven't thought about it, I don't plan on [the team] losing. You think positive, you win."
Pollard has been playing rugby since he was 15 and is now coaching some B teams and his 6-year-old son Jayden's Rippa rugby team for the past two years.
The All Blacks fan said everyone who knows him knows that he is "rugby crazy", including his wife Lisa Pollard.
"I've always got an All Blacks jersey on and I've always watched the All Blacks," he said.
"Every year they bring out an All Blacks jersey I buy one ... We've got family Hurricanes jerseys and family All Blacks jerseys."
This weekend, Pollard is watching the semifinal between the All Blacks and England at the Lake Ferry Hotel on the South Wairarapa coast as the family plans to spend the long weekend at a beach house.
For the final, he is planning to watch it at his local bar where they have a dedicated man shed rugby room.
Pollard also noticed that his post was shared on the SA Rugby Magazine's Facebook page, where many South African rugby fans believe the tattoo is a bit presumptive.
This All Blacks fan is very confident that New Zealand will win their third Rugby World Cup in a row.
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