Henry Pollock will have the licence to express himself when he starts for the Lions on Saturday – including the freedom to celebrate tries as he sees fit.
In light of recent controversy, it was relevant to clarify this issue with Andy Farrell, after he named Pollock at No 8 to face Western Force at Optus Stadium.
So, the tourists’ head coach was asked if the English rookie sensation has the freedom to celebrate? ‘Of course he does,’ was the emphatic reply.
Farrell and the Lions want to see Northampton’s 20-year-old back-row prodigy in his element, full of self-belief and swagger and innate exuberance.
They will not expect him to temper his response to touching down – which he has been doing with impressive regularity – despite what happened after the Champions Cup Final last month, when Bordeaux eclipsed the Saints.
The French side had evidently taken a dislike to Pollock and prop Jefferson Poirot was hit with a two-match ban for grabbing him by the throat in a confrontation following the final whistle in Cardiff.
Henry Pollock will start for the Lions at No 8 on Saturday when they play the Western Force
Lions head coach Andy Farrell has backed Pollock to be himself despite ruffling some feathers
Pollock got into a scuffle with Jefferson Poirot after Northampton lost to Bordeaux last month
Later, Bordeaux players and staff continued to mock Pollock in their changing-room and even back in their home city during a victory parade; by mimicking the fingers-on-neck, pulse-check celebration he produced after a stunning solo try in the semi-final win over Leinster.
That bizarre sideshow has not fazed Farrell in the least.
First, he included Pollock at the base of the scrum in an Irish-dominated side to be led by hooker Dan Sheehan.
Then, he spoke passionately about wanting the Saints wonder-kid to stay true to his natural instincts.
At the end of the Six Nations, England captain Maro Itoje joked that Pollock had been a ‘pest’ behind the scenes, but the man in charge of the Lions delivered a far more favourable verdict.
‘He’s not been a pest, definitely not,’ said Farrell, after announcing a starting XV featuring 13 personnel changes, from the team beaten 28-24 by Argentina last Friday.
‘He’s been great. You can see that he’s hungry to learn and that he’s got a real point of difference.
‘He wants to make a difference the whole time. But he also understands what parts of his game he needs to improve.
Youngster Pollock has raised plenty of eyebrows for his exuberant try celebrations this year
Henry Pollock scored two tries against Wales in Cardiff when he made his senior England debut
A basketball-style celebration was just one item in Pollock’s repertoire after scoring this year
‘He’s got a great attitude.’
Farrell was adamant that Pollock’s confident streak is not excessive, adding: ‘You want them to be like that, but he’s a humble kid as well.
‘He doesn’t think he’s got it all, far from that. You want people with confidence and belief, that helps when he takes the field.
‘He’s certainly not over-awed! I love that. You want these kids to be themselves.
‘You don’t want a kid to go under the radar and in three weeks’ time just settle into a side.
‘You pick him for a reason. He’s a Lion just like the eldest player.
‘His character is infectious to everyone. He’s a great lad.’
Within the Lions squad, Irish, Scottish and Welsh players have been hurriedly getting used to the Pollock brand of relentless energy, enthusiasm and brash assertiveness.
Pollock was a late bolter for the Lions after impressing for club and country in his first season
Northampton lost the Champions Cup final to Bordeaux in a difficult outing for young Pollock
The young back row became England’s youngest Six Nations try-scorer earlier this season
They would have already formed impressions from afar, due to the fanfare around the breakthrough star, but now they can form more informed, first-hand opinions and Mack Hansen spoke warmly about the squad’s youngest player.
‘He’s a great fella, he really is,’ said the Ireland wing. ‘People say he does things for the camera and all that, but from getting to know him I think, that’s just him.
‘He just loves it. He’s living his dream. So, I don’t think it’s fake by any means.
‘He’s just loving being here. He’s 20 years old. Who would have thought…?
‘He’s been good. He’s just been himself. That’s the main message that Faz gives everyone.
‘Just be yourself. He’s doing that.’
Australia’s rugby community is catching up with the Pollock bandwagon, but an enquiry to Farrell about just how good the talented tyro could be drew a cautious response, designed to keep the noise around him in check.
‘I can tell now that you’re trying to hype him up,’ said the head coach.
Farrell has said that he wants Pollock to be himself while being humble during the Lions tour
As the youngest man on tour, Pollock must look after BIL the Lion at all times in Australia
Pollock has been praised for his explosive carrying and his running lines by Lions boss Farrell
‘Honestly, he’s just another player like everyone else and that’s how he wants to be.
‘His point of difference is his ability to see things quickly and act upon that and his line running, for example, is pretty good.
‘His awareness of space and how sharp he is in his mind and his athletic abilities are up there with the other lads in the squad.’
Frankly, his line running is more than ‘pretty good’. His awareness of space and athletic abilities are more than ‘up there with the other lads’, but Farrell knows that, which is why he has picked him to start.
He is giving him a shot in a position which is wide open, after Caelan Doris was ruled out of this tour due to injury.
Ben Earl’s Dublin audition didn’t go to plan and Jack Conan will take his turn as the only specialist No 8, but Pollock can make a statement first about his Test credentials.
‘He knows what we want from our eights, but he’s got to find his own version of that, as that’s what we want; him being himself,’ said Farrell.
‘The (Champions Cup) final was perfect for him as the top end of club level. He’s had one of those where it all didn’t go his team’s way.
Pollock made his Lions debut last week in Dublin when Argentina upset Andy Farrell’s squad
Ireland’s Mack Hansen, left, has backed Pollock as a ‘great fellah’ after linking up on tour
England’s Ben Earl (left) and Ireland’s Jack Conan (right) are Pollock’s main number 8 rivals
He’s got to find a way within that. That’s going to happen on a tour like this.
‘He has to go through it and then (the coaches) make the judgement about whether it’s the right thing for the team or not.
‘We’ll see what the performances are over the next couple of weeks, like everyone else.’
The Lions simply don’t have enough time for futile experiments, so the decision to deploy Pollock at No 8 is fascinating and means he must be a genuine Test contender.
When the tourists face the Force, it will be just three weeks until their series opener against Australia in Brisbane.
A storming performance could propel Pollock into contention for a place in the first-choice side for the internationals.
Why not? He has been on an unstoppable rise, so there’s no reason why it can’t take him all the way into the Lions Test XV.
What a feat and a story that would be.
