A Gallagher Prem final that ended with Northampton’s wunderkind standing tall and triumphant so nearly started with Henry Pollock falling flat on his face. A bundling blond ball of energy, Pollock had torn out of the tunnel in trademark, Tiggerish fashion but almost failed to stick the landing. “I nearly tripped over and stacked it in front of 80,000, which is class…” the 21-year-old chuckled afterwards, celebratory ski goggles holding up that hair and already dripping with champagne spray.
It is remarkable just how often Pollock manages to be central to the story. Members of the Northampton Saints coaching staff could be heard quipping at full time that it was inevitable that the broadcasters would name their No 8 as player of the match – but in the same breath made sure to highlight just how pivotal Pollock has been in the last two weeks particularly. “He does things in terms of his speed and power and his ability to stay in the game,” Phil Dowson, Saints’ director of rugby, said. “Last week he had 26 carries, I don’t know how many carries he had in the final. His impacts throughout the game are fantastic.”
First in the semi-final against Leicester and again on the biggest stage in English club rugby, it has felt like a subtly different Pollock. So rapid has been his rise that it is always worth remembering his tender age and how much more developing might still to be done but the manner in which the back rower has conducted himself in the play-offs speaks to the internal drive and winning edge that those close to him have always emphasised. The high-profile tie up with Eddie Hearn and ever-growing fan following may hit the headlines, but it is as a rugby player first and foremost that Pollock has made his name – and he can now add player of the match in a Prem final success to his considerable early list of achievements.
“I haven’t changed anything, no,” Pollock explained of the last two weeks. “It’s probably more a mindset thing. These are the games you want to step up in. You want to be one of those players that step up in big games.
“People can talk all they want. I have always said in my career, I don’t listen to outside noise, I don’t listen to people’s opinion. I am very much locked into my role and my team, and what I need to do for the team and the coaches. And you can have all these opinions about me, and everything like that, but I am just trying to focus on what I do. At the end of the day, it’s white noise. It doesn’t matter to me, it doesn’t go into my brain. We’ll win trophies, I guess.”
That shutting out of the critics may be necessary as the youngster prepares for a first encounter with the Springboks. For whatever reason, South Africans don’t seem to have taken to Pollock’s personality. “He’s a TikTok dancer or whatever he is and he plays a bit of rugby on the weekend,” World Cup-winning flanker Schalk Burger assessed last year. “His main gig is to be on social media.” While the current crop have been more respectful, Pollock and England will expect a hostile reception at Ellis Park in their Nations Championship opener on 4 July.
“Er, no,” Pollock responded when asked if he knew why South Africans seem to have taken a dislike to him. “They can talk all they want. I guess I keep showing up.
“I’m relishing them massively. We’ve got three big, big Test matches. Obviously the Six Nations didn’t go our way and we are still hurting from that a little bit. There is no bigger challenge than going to South Africa and playing away at altitude in one of the biggest stadiums in the world. Those are the things you dream of. [The final] was a dream, and that’ll be another memory to lock in the brain, I guess.”
The boundless energy that Pollock brings may be necessary for England at the end of a long year. The successful Saints will come into camp at some point on Monday. With Alex Coles coming through the final unscathed (and in some form), captain Maro Itoje seems certain to be rested, while Steve Borthwick will also have to consider how best to manage British and Irish Lions like Tommy Freeman and Fin Smith. One could put Pollock in that group, too, though his workload has at least been limited by a bench role in 15 of his 29 appearances this season.
Will he start in Johannesburg? It is a question for consideration over the next 10 days. Pollock’s play-off performances may have made an irresistible case for inclusion – and wants a crack at the world champions. “It’s been a mad 18 months, and I’m just trying to take it in moments, I guess. There are lots of demands on us but we trust in the coaches and staff that they are going to manage us well. We are using it as motivation each day. Those games are the ones you want to play in. You want to go away and play against the best in the world. That’s what I want to do.”
