There are two types of rugby fans in this country. Many people are already aware of Henry Pollock, perhaps through his sizzling highlights of age-appropriate action. It is suspected that the rest will recognize him very soon.
Pollock had made quite a splash before Friday night when he scored a hat-trick on his debut for England Under-20s in the 36-11 defeat of Italy in Treviso. Northampton Saints’ versatile winger, who turned 19 just last month, will also be eligible to participate at this level next year.
Richard Hill, the 2003 World Cup winner and now England team manager, has become a valuable mentor to young back-rowers, acting as a sounding board for Sam Underhill and Tom Curry. This year he alerted Steve Borthwick to the potential of Ethan Roots, who immediately won the player of the match award on his Test debut in Rome. Hill contacted Pollock a few days ago.
“Hilly contacted me after the Italy game at the weekend and gave me a few tips,” Pollock explains. Predictably, the master of the ‘unseen work’ touched on a few subtleties.
“He was mostly talking about my work rate off the ball,” Pollock adds of Hill’s signals. “Sometimes I can get a little lazy walking around the field. He’s really good to me because he’ll see things I wouldn’t normally notice.”
“I know now that I will be playing for Bath. [against Wales]I need to work harder on kickoffs and times like that, not shut down. “That’s something I hope to adapt to my game.”
As for the easier-to-spot skills (pace, evasive footwork, offloading and devastating defense), Pollock seems to have them in abundance. He braced Ben Redshaw’s break to score his first goal against Italy and then added a second from the tail of a strike, crossing 30 meters in two tackles.
The stunning blonde teenager scored England’s fourth try, scoring the penalty and lofting the pass to Josh Bellamy before capitalizing on a late breakthrough to seal the victory.
Pollock hails a “special” victory based on “team effort.” England now face Wales at The Rec on Friday, where they will also host a strong Ireland team on March 8.
An eye-catching debut into under-20 action seemed inevitable for Pollock, who signed his first professional contract with Northampton last spring while still at Stowe School.
A year ago, in 2022, he captained the England U18 team in South Africa and returned with the forward of the series award. The home team won with an exciting score of 44-41. Pollock’s emotional post-match interview attracted great attention.
“Listen, the kids started buzzing after that,” he told a television reporter. “This damn leaderboard shows how much guts you have. We came back when we wanted to go back and I’m really proud of the kids there. I’m f—— proud.”
In fact, such originality is what we often expect from stars in the spotlight. Thinking about 18 months later, Pollock stands behind this idea, even if not the language used.
‘F bomb’ interview
“We hadn’t done interviews after the last two interviews, so I wasn’t really expecting to be interviewed,” he recalls. “We lost at the last minute and… the reason we lost was a political moment.
“I got pulled into the interview and said some wrong things. If I could go back I would change it. My intentions were true, I dropped the F-bomb a few times. You live and you learn, right?
Following that tour, in January 2023, Pollock clocked nearly 75 meters in a breathtaking solo run while playing for Saints Academy in a friendly at Cinch Stadium. As he passed his own 22, he hitched a ride around a tackler and then outran two more to reach the try line.
This season continued a great run. At the end of September, Pollock was named in the Saints squad for the Premiership Cup match against Bath. His opponent number was Underhill and Northampton prevailed 43-42.
His Premiership debut came off the bench against Leicester Tigers in November. Saints enthusiasts believe his emergence, as a sign of Pollock’s promise and progress, could ease the burden of Lewis Ludlam’s impending departure. High praise.
Pollock, who was on loan to Bedford Blues in the Championship just before Christmas, completed the reel with a quick run from his own 22 against Ampthill.
It’s not that he’s looking for these moments. Ben Earl was a man who should have lost his reputation as a ‘major movie actor’, whether fairly or unfairly earned. Pollock recognizes the need to be a circular operator.
“You can’t do the basics well when you have a big highlights reel,” he says. “I’m not proud of those who stand out; I’m proud of the things no one sees. That’s what wins games; tackling, ball carrying, tackling – the basics I need in my locker.
“If you get too arrogant and think about the future, you won’t work on the basics. “I pride myself on working on those things every day and staying grounded because at the end of the day, no matter what has happened in the past, you are only as good as your next performance.”
Size and execution may be another requirement for future success at the top level. Pollock has attracted particular attention in Northampton’s squad this summer and believes he will eventually need to be bigger at senior level.
“There’s some chatter that it’s slowly increasing [my weight],” he says. “I sit weighing about 100 kg [15st 10lbs] right now and I think they want me at 107 or 108 kilos [17st], a little heavier so I can handle more impact. “I hope I don’t lose my speed in the process, but I have confidence in the Saints coaches.”
‘Even if you’re not the biggest, it might seem like you are’
Fittingly, two of Pollock’s role models are wingers who punch above the scales. “Michael Hooper was someone I always looked up to. He wandered around the park and is not the biggest guy. But it gave me confidence that even if you’re not the biggest man on the field, you can look like one.
“I used to watch Saints games and the way Teimana Harrison carried it, with a lot of aggression and a lot of fight, was really inspiring as well.”
A sports family must provide a strong support network. Pollock’s mother, Hester, was a national-level triathlete. His sister, Zoe, is a serious 400-meter hurdler at the University of Georgia. Both father John and brother Angus play golf from scratch. Pollock estimates his handicap will be in the mid to late teens, but he counts a birdie on the 18th hole at Gleneagles on his bulging resume.
“It was a few years ago,” he laughs. “The round was going pretty well and I think I came out with a three-putt. The approach shot was good; I stuck it pretty close. Then I worked the green pretty good and… put the ball in the hole, man. It was a surreal moment.”
The past year has also been surreal for Pollock. But the bookmarks will not give up. Wales Under-20s kicked off their own Six Nations campaign by beating Scotland 37-29. Pollock and his colleagues will have to work diligently this Friday.
“It’s about adapting to each new level,” he concludes. “Friday was my first taste of the under-20s. This weekend will be about how I can support that performance.”