As he emerged into the fiery cauldron that was a packed Franklin’s Gardens on Friday night, Henry Pollock was primed to the max for a PREM Rugby play-off battle.
‘Let’s f***ing go!’ English rugby’s tyro shouted, in between mouthfuls of water. Everything about Pollock’s demeanour showed he knew a tempestuous encounter was coming.
So it proved. This was English club rugby at its best, Pollock’s Northampton downing bitter rivals Leicester to set-up a PREM final with either Bath or Exeter who meet on Saturday.
Their success was thanks in no small part to Tom Litchfield’s first-half hat-trick.
It was frenetic, you-score-we’ll-score entertainment, but in the end, it was Northampton who did just enough and deservedly so.
Pollock was far from the only home standout, but watching on England head coach Steve Borthwick must surely have been impressed.
Henry Pollock proved he is more than just talk as he anchored Northampton Saints to the PREM Rugby fnal
Pollock bellowed an expletive to gee himself up before the start of the match
Pollock has been criticised for being more mouth than trousers, but there can be no doubt his performance here was packed with substance. It included a mammoth 26 carries, demonstrating that Pollock is no show pony – as his detractors claim – when he concentrates on the job at hand. ‘You can see how confident he is from his whole career,’ Northampton director of rugby Phil Dowson said of Pollock. ‘I spoke to him this week and he said: “I need to have more focus on what I can do and not be distracted”.
‘I’m proud of every single player, but Henry has the ability to learn fast, a bit like Courtney Lawes.
‘Lots of our performance was very good. Some of it wasn’t, but we got there.’
It was hardly surprising that Pollock – reminiscent of a kid who’s had too much pop – started like a runaway train. So too did the game as a whole. Pollock began with a ferocious carry into contact and a breakaway in the wide channels, setting the tone and field position from which Litchfield opened the scoring.
It started what was a barely believable opening 40 for the Northampton centre. It also set the tone for a humdinger of a half in which there were seven scores in total. Tommy Freeman’s effort was sandwiched by Litchfield’s first two, Leicester responding through Hanro Liebenberg and Freddie Steward.
It was high-octane PREM action at its best. Leicester didn’t help themselves, failing to deal with Saints kicks for Litchfield’s second and Freeman’s effort.
In Pollock, Saints had a whirling dervish, careering around the field. By contrast, their England No 10 Fin Smith controlled the game smartly – kicking through to Freeman and nearly orchestrating space for others around him. Smith was the game’s official star man. In the 33rd minute, Pollock thought he had put Saints further clear, but his try was ruled out for him being offside after he had been found by Freeman in what was a thrilling home counterattack.
Leicester promptly went down the other end, Billy Searle kicking to Ollie Hassell-Collins. Pollock responded by winning a breakdown penalty to create Litchfield’s third. At 26-19, it was time for everyone to take a well-earned, albeit brief breather. Home full-back George Furbank and Leicester’s in-form centre Orlando Bailey continued the try-fest when the game resumed.
Northampton director of rugby Phil Dowson spoke highly of his star – but admitted his team can be better
Northampton’s Elliot Millar Mills then followed Pollock in having a try ruled out, this time for a George Hendy knock-on.
The intensity was unrelenting, but Saints couldn’t be denied further for long.
In the 67th minute, more smooth-as-silk handling involving Tom Pearson, replacement Fraser Dingwall and Furbank ended with a try for Archie McParland. The No 9’s tactical kicking hadn’t been perfect, but he is a livewire running threat whose support lines mean he will always be in the frame to cross the whitewash.
Hassell-Collins’ second ensured Saints couldn’t rest on their laurels going into the final 10 but home advantage again proved crucial in the play-offs.
Had Franklin’s Gardens a roof, it would surely have come off when Furbank’s second put the game to bed via help from England aces Smith and Freeman. Craig Wright’s yellow couldn’t derail Saints from moving within one win of regaining the title they won in 2024.
Leicester just missed out on the final, but their first season under Geoff Parling’s guidance has been far better than expected and bodes well for the future.
Beaten Tigers head coach Parling said: ‘We are devastated to fall short but fair play to Saints. I thought they were outstanding. Their speed in attack was exceptional.’
