As he charged onto the Twickenham pitch, Henry Pollock leapt so high that he almost lost his balance and ended up in the pyrotechnic flamethrowers.
You never know quite what to expect with England’s peroxide-haired forward but one thing is certain: he is the country’s form No 8.
It was hard to miss Pollock in his hot pink boots, the ones that are all the rage with footballers at the World Cup. He made 18 tackles and carried 19 times before leading the South Stand on a chant of ‘Shoe Army’ as Northampton lifted the Prem trophy.
He talked about the pride of winning with his hometown club. ‘Big city lights don’t bother me,’ they sung in the changing room. ‘Northampton Saints I’d rather be.’
Pollock was the official man of the match. Perhaps his bright footwear played a part because his coach, Phil Dowson, thought it should have been awarded to someone else.
George Hendy scored twice in the second half. Fin Smith kept coming back when he was smashed in the ribs by Exeter defenders. Alex Coles carried magnificently, appearing slightly more intimidating than before with his new military-style buzzcut.
Henry Pollock helped drive Northampton Saints to glory in the Prem Rugby final
Pollock is England’s form No 8 and should start against South Africa in two weeks’ time
George Hendy scored two tries for Northampton in their 26-17 victory over Exeter Chiefs
George Furbank lifted the trophy on his final appearance for his boyhood club. The coaches showed the squad a montage of his years in the Saints jersey before their play-off with Leicester tracing back to his days as a season ticket-holding academy player. You suspect he will never have it this good at Harlequins.
Rugby teams are full of international flavour but few clubs have as much hometown spirit as these local lads. Credit must go to Dowson and Sam Vesty, the club’s coaching double act who have fostered a group who play the game in its finest style.
Their team finished top of the table and are the league’s rightful winners, adding to their trophy in 2024. Surely, they are now staring the RFU in the face as future England coaches.
‘This group is different to the group that won two years ago,’ said Dowson. ‘That was new and we wanted to take the group somewhere they hadn’t been in a long time. A lot of this group has been through that experience and we didn’t want to fall at the final hurdle. There was some psychological pressure that we had been really good over the nine months to get to this point and then we had one playoff game to get the trophy.’
Dowson led their players back to Franklin’s Gardens on Saturday night to celebrate in a stadium suite with a free bar. They will toast the way they rode Exeter’s ferocious defence.
Ethan Roots tackled with venom. Len Ikitau did, too. His spell in England has been short. One season, to be precise. He has been away from the spotlight in deepest Devon yet he will be remembered as one of the league’s finest imports. He has not been around long enough to be held alongside the likes of Faf de Klerk and Schalk Brits but it has been a short-term love affair. He has been world class in the midfield.
‘We’ve written a few good chapters and we’re going to keep writing more until we win,’ said Rob Baxter, who questioned his future with Exeter last season. ‘The book is open now. We’ve got this far in a “restructuring process”. These lads have rekindled my love for the game. They’ve changed the mindset of the club.
‘Previously, we had a couple of promotions and kept growing. We got slapped in the face last year and that made some people doubt where the club was heading. These lads have flipped that on its head. That’s the biggest thing to come out of this season.’
The waterbreaks at Twickenham did not help this game find its flow. The stoppages have been widely booed at the football World Cup and they proved no more popular here.
Phil Dowson, left, has helped foster a group that plays the game in its finest style
Northampton Saints finished top of the table and are the league’s righful winners
Overloaded playing calendars have pushed the final further and further into the summer, to the point where this was played on the same day that England’s cricketers were in action across town, in muggy 26C heat.
Josh Kemeny and Daf Jenkins were both sin-binned in the second half. Archie McParland was left with a deep gash above his knee and Manny Feyi-Waboso required stitches above his eye.
Exeter were leading at the hour point but Smith, who misfired in some of the early exchanges, kept coming. Vesty has created a group who do not retreat into their shells. Pollock kept demanding the ball, all energy, running into the jaws of the Exeter defence.
‘He does things with his speed, his power and his ability to stay in the game,’ said Dowson. His impacts through the game are fantastic.’
When England face the Springboks in two weeks’ time, Pollock should be named in the starting team to bring his winning energy.
For now, however, all the Shoe Army are thinking about is their victory march around Northampton. There is nowhere else they would rather be.
