twitchy wrote: ↑Sat Mar 29, 2025 10:24 am
I think we are managing him fine at intl level. That wales game couldn't have been better.
This. I’m really not sure what Borthwick has done wrong here?
The 6N was the first realistic opportunity to cap him and he was …
The talk of the Lions is quite ridiculous IMO but he is pretty much certain to tour with England and will likely get a good bit of game time. There really is no grounds for complaint/suggestion of limiting his ambitions.
Mikey Brown wrote: ↑Sat Mar 29, 2025 8:57 am
Yeah he looks like an incredible talent. Interesting to see how much he plays flanker or 8, and if it even matters that he’s back and forth between the two, but claiming he’d start for NZ or France is completely absurd.
Absurd? They would recognise his potential and back it. The risk is negligible compared with the potential gain. If we frustrate his ambition we are mad. It's Cipriani v Russell etc.
mate, he's being capped now, what's the problem.
Agreed. When I spoke about Selects Boldly potentially putting him on the bench when we were waiting for the Scotland game, the general view was, "Huh, that'd be fun, but realistically way too early - he needs to drop to the A side or U20s."
He's a great talent, but he's in his first season of adult rugby, he's only had 7 first team starts for Northampton, and yet we've recognised his potential and backed it with a call up to the squad, a cap ahead of way more established players, and a likely space on the summer tour. Not entirely sure what exactly NZ or France would be doing more than that.
Danno wrote: ↑Wed Apr 02, 2025 7:24 pm
Just caught this, some lovely play by Sale for their scores.
I don't like Pollock.
Is it the flamboyant fringe?
He just seems like such an arrogant prick and I it really rubs me up the wrong way when someone likes the smell of their own farts that much. Hell of a player already but he's Ben Earl on meth
Scrumhead wrote: ↑Sat Mar 29, 2025 8:41 am
Do you really think Henry Pollock is ‘the best’ back row we have available full stop?
Yes. And, he will get better.
That is an extremely bold statement to make without qualifying why.
He might be the quickest and most elusive runner. Possibly the most skilful too. However, he’s a flanker/8 and IMO he’s not even remotely close to being the best in any other aspect of back row play.
I don’t doubt he’ll keep getting better, but to proclaim him as the best at this point is wild.
This is where I am - very eye catching and talented, but still much to learn. As expected.
But he’s getting game time and exposure at the cost of some seriously good players. He’s being backed. Where’s the issue?
Danno wrote: ↑Wed Apr 02, 2025 7:24 pm
Just caught this, some lovely play by Sale for their scores.
I don't like Pollock.
Is it the flamboyant fringe?
He just seems like such an arrogant prick and I it really rubs me up the wrong way when someone likes the smell of their own farts that much. Hell of a player already but he's Ben Earl on meth
On the basis of what exactly? That he’s got a personality?
He just seems like such an arrogant prick and I it really rubs me up the wrong way when someone likes the smell of their own farts that much. Hell of a player already but he's Ben Earl on meth
On the basis of what exactly? That he’s got a personality?
More of a personality clash. I fully accept that it's just as much of a me problem than any real fault on young Henry's part
He just seems like such an arrogant prick and I it really rubs me up the wrong way when someone likes the smell of their own farts that much. Hell of a player already but he's Ben Earl on meth
On the basis of what exactly? That he’s got a personality?
More of a personality clash. I fully accept that it's just as much of a me problem than any real fault on young Henry's part
So....he is a rare talent, and knows it, having been told it since he was 15. He's 20 in this era of instastuff... not sure what else to say tbh. He'll get there, but slack needs cutting imo
On the basis of what exactly? That he’s got a personality?
More of a personality clash. I fully accept that it's just as much of a me problem than any real fault on young Henry's part
So....he is a rare talent, and knows it, having been told it since he was 15. He's 20 in this era of instastuff... not sure what else to say tbh. He'll get there, but slack needs cutting imo
I mean he's 20. Most young men tend to be a little mouthy and cocksure at 20, especially in environments they are excelling in. Generally it's grown out of with experience. As long as he's working hard to keep improving and develop his game on the pitch, crack on. There's definitely a couple of areas in defence he could make improvements in.
More of a personality clash. I fully accept that it's just as much of a me problem than any real fault on young Henry's part
So....he is a rare talent, and knows it, having been told it since he was 15. He's 20 in this era of instastuff... not sure what else to say tbh. He'll get there, but slack needs cutting imo
All fair. Like I say it's on me, not him
I'd say it's also very easily to conflate his on-pitch demeanor with his personality. He seems like a colossal prick to the opposition on the pitch, but is apparently very personable and a decent bloke in person - there was an article noting that there were apparently a few in the England team concerned about his call-up, having been on the wrong side of his on-pitch attitude, but were pleasantly surprised to find he's not a c*** when he's not in a match.
So long as his on-pitch attitude doesn't tip over into ill-discipline, I'm all in favour. Certainly there's been more than a few Kiwis and Aussies who were competitive and arrogant little shits on the pitch, and I don't mind one of ours taking a bit of attitude to the opposition.
Danno wrote: ↑Thu Apr 03, 2025 10:03 pm
I'll change my tune when he's starting for England regularly. Much like POM, he might be an arsehole, but he's OUR arsehole
Very understandable. You'll feel better as soon as you see how much he infuriates the Kiwis. Personally, I'm okay, cause the last time he played against my club, we won 0-33, so I'm in a mood to be generous and forgiving.
Danno wrote: ↑Thu Apr 03, 2025 10:03 pm
I'll change my tune when he's starting for England regularly. Much like POM, he might be an arsehole, but he's OUR arsehole
Very understandable. You'll feel better as soon as you see how much he infuriates the Kiwis. Personally, I'm okay, cause the last time he played against my club, we won 0-33, so I'm in a mood to be generous and forgiving.
I think it also depends on individual perception and bias. For example there is little difference between Ben Earl and Tom or Ben Curry in terms of over celebration etc., yet only one of them is called a prick. And as a result they could do the most minor thing and be called all sorts whilst the other gets much more slack.
He just seems like such an arrogant prick and I it really rubs me up the wrong way when someone likes the smell of their own farts that much. Hell of a player already but he's Ben Earl on meth
On the basis of what exactly? That he’s got a personality?
More of a personality clash. I fully accept that it's just as much of a me problem than any real fault on young Henry's part
On the basis of what exactly? That he’s got a personality?
More of a personality clash. I fully accept that it's just as much of a me problem than any real fault on young Henry's part
Fair play mate
In fairness as well, the view at Saints is that he needed taking down a peg or two coming into the season attitude wise. But again, he's 20 and a couple of months....so slack cut tbh.
Even for those familiar with Henry Pollock’s extraordinary exploits, last Friday was quite astounding.
Early in the second half of Northampton Saints’ tight loss to Sale Sharks, the 20-year-old tyro scorched 50 metres for a remarkable solo try. He pinged like a pinball off Luke Cowan-Dickie and Tom Curry, two of the best one-on-one tacklers in the country, before regathering his own delicate chip to finish the job.
Combining speed, balance, deceptive power and skill, the moment was so exhilarating as to eclipse another awesome highlights in the first period. After accelerating onto Fraser Dingwall’s pass to pierce the defensive line, Pollock had brushed away one defender and swerved past another. When a scrambling opponent eventually caught up, he turned to loop a one-handed offload to Alex Coles.
“Virtually every single game, he’s doing something that would be a special moment in any other player’s season,” states Jason Sivil, an integral member of Northampton’s strength and conditioning team who has worked with Pollock since the latter was 16.
An expert in biokinetics, Sivil joined Saints from Gloucester to continue an impressive career that began in his native South Africa. He is well placed to categorise Pollock’s athleticism as truly exceptional. “I’ve been working in this field for 20 years and there are very, very few players as gifted as Henry is,” Sivil adds.
“If Henry was in South Africa, he’d be an outlier. There are people physically put together like him, but not a lot of them. It wouldn’t matter where Henry is in the world, he would be a stand-out.”
Now in his second year with the Saints senior squad, Pollock has bulked up to around 105kg. He can squat 230kg for three reps and bench press 140kg for two, has sprinting speeds of around 10m per second – admirable for outside backs – and can jump 54cm vertically into the air from a static start. But physical prowess means little without a resolute mind-set.
Henry Pollock does weighted pull-ups
Pollock has bulked up to around 105kg Credit: Getty Images/Dan Mullan
Grant Seely, the former Northampton flanker, arrived to teach at Stowe School in the same year that Pollock came into the fourth form at 13 years old. One of Seely’s earliest impressions remains vivid.
“He wasn’t in any way big,” he says of Pollock. “He was actually built like a long-distance runner, if anything. We had this school cross-country and he came second out of over 100 in that for his year.
“It was him and another lad streets ahead of the others at the front, neck-and-neck. The other boy was an out-and-out runner with proper shoes and all that nonsense. It was just impressive seeing how much fight and dog that Henry had at that age.”
Henry Pollock (left) with Archie McParland at Stowe School
Pollock (left) with Archie McParland during their time at Stowe School Credit: Stowe School
Strong genes are clearly useful. Hester, Pollock’s mother, was a national-level triathlete and Henry competed as a junior. A gruelling sport must have sent him to dark places and challenged his stamina.
“I found his engine, his ability to go and go and go, just incredible,” Sivil adds. “I’d put it down to a few things, and one of them is being exposed to a sport like triathlon, where you’ve got to be able to push deep and hard and for a considerable amount of time. Henry could push himself further and further all the time.
“Another thing was that, from the first time I met him, he has been immensely determined and driven. Whatever I gave him, he wanted to do it and more. He was always looking to push himself more and more and more.
“As a youngster, if I had him in the gym doing a particular group of exercises, and I wanted him to go up to a certain weight, Henry would push himself beyond that. My instincts would obviously compel me to be hesitant, to ask him to pull back. After a while, you realise that he just has this capacity in him, as well as that drive to be pushing himself.”
Seely, who supplements his job as director of rugby at Stowe with stints as a citing commissioner for the Rugby Football Union, introduced 7am gym sessions to nurture a work ethic in potential 1st XV prospects: “I just wanted see what they were made of and to see how hungry they were, really.”
Pollock’s boarding house, Grafton, was closest to the on-site facility and those sessions provided a concrete example of Stowe and Saints collaborating because the club devised the programmes.
“Henry didn’t have loads of size on him really until sixth form,” Seely explains. “He was a good player, always in the thick of it as an openside being a nuisance to the other teams, but winning the Vase at the Rosslyn Park Sevens in his lower sixth year was a turning point for me.
“He was just on fire that year, scoring tries from the halfway line and that’s when people started to take notice. He exploded away and hasn’t really stopped since.”
Henry Pollock celebrates winning the Vase at the Rosslyn Park Sevens in his lower sixth year
Pollock (right) won the Vase at the Rosslyn Park Sevens in his lower sixth year
As part of an extremely sporty family – sister Zoe is a 400m hurdler, with father John and brother Angus scratch golfers – Pollock kept his horizons broad, which Seely respects.
“I always use Henry as an example to other sporting kids. When he was 16, he was still playing hockey for the school, still doing athletics. Sometimes, particularly with cricketers, they might specialise at 13 or 14 and that drives me nuts. Henry, fair play to him, played as many sports as he could for as long as he could.”
Zoe Pollock in action during the Women's 60m hurdle heats
Pollock’s sister Zoe (right) is a 400m hurdler Credit: PA/Simon Cooper
By under-18 level, Pollock had zeroed in on rugby union. And that bloody-minded streak was still prominent. If Sivil had asked Pollock to hone a basic barbell back-squat at 150kg, the weight would soon hit 170kg or 180kg. “And once he’d hit that, it wouldn’t be good enough anymore and he’d go to 190kg and 200kg. He’s just constantly like that.”
“As an under-18 player, he would have been squatting around 190kg,” Sivil continues. “He was running 10 metres per second, which is what top-level backs are running. He would have had really, really high output in terms of accelerations. We did a bronco test and Henry would run between 4.25 and 4.30. That’s very much endurance based but, again, it’s a really good number.”
Henry Pollock in action for the under-18s
Pollock in under-18s action for Northampton Saints Credit: Ketan Shah/Charles Ward
The bronco test is a sequence of 60m, 40m and 20m shuttles that adds up to 1.2km. For a long time, Beauden Barrett’s time of four minutes and 12 seconds was revered around the world. Seb Atkinson, the Gloucester centre, is thought to have set a new record by clocking 4.08 recently.
A mark of 4.25 or so demonstrates how Pollock marries perseverance – he is a busy, tough defender – with explosive dynamism.
“He’s unbelievably powerful,” Sivil says. “We know power is a product of strength and speed and most players are biased towards one or the other; they’ll have really good strength, but their speed might not be as high and that is what will limit their production or vice versa. Henry has very good speed and very good strength, and because he is high on both of those metrics, his power is through the roof.”
Seely is often asked about his part in the Pollock story so far. He usually laughs.
“I’d like to tell you that we did all these intricate things,” he says. “It was about getting him in the gym just to see the hunger he had. The programmes were done through Saints. We were supervising them and making sure the environment was right – making sure they had breakfast, for instance – and then it was down to him.
“There are a lot of people who ask why Henry is so special and what I did. When someone is that good, you just don’t get in the way of it or mess it up. I’m not talking up my job here, but it’s true. I had Courtney Lawes while I was with the Northampton academy and it was the same. If they’re on such an obvious upward trajectory, you just don’t get in the way.
“Obviously, you are there to support them if something goes wrong… but Henry just didn’t need that. Our relationship with Saints is very good, so we spoke to them to make sure we weren’t telling him conflicting things. And we let him go.”
Henry Pollock with his parents, John and Hester
Pollock with his parents, John and Hester Credit: Northampton Saints
Sivil echoes that sentiment, describing Pollock’s rise concisely: “Every time the bar gets raised for him, he just manages to step up.” And yet, Pollock is still surprising even those closest to him. “I never thought he’d play at No 8,” Seely admits. “But his power is deceptive and he’s a real specimen now.”
Friday evening’s Champions Cup last-16 encounter with Clermont is the next stop for Pollock as he breaks new ground again. Victory would put Saints into the quarter-finals and, this summer, who knows? The smart money is on him heading to Argentina and the USA with England, but Pollock is on a fast track. Andy Farrell may fancy a brash, bold youngster for the British and Irish Lions. Athleticism and attitude forms a potent blend.
“I get a bit cross when people say Henry is cocky,” Seely finishes. “He isn’t. He’s cheeky, and always was at Stowe. People loved him for it. That might be mistaken for arrogance but it isn’t at all; you see it on the pitch. He’s talking to pros that are five years older than him, geeing them up. And they’re loving it.
“The boy’s special, which isn’t because of anything I’ve done. A lot of it is from his family background and what he’s done himself.”
Danno wrote: ↑Wed Apr 02, 2025 7:24 pm
Just caught this, some lovely play by Sale for their scores.
I don't like Pollock.
Is it the flamboyant fringe?
He just seems like such an arrogant prick and I it really rubs me up the wrong way when someone likes the smell of their own farts that much. Hell of a player already but he's Ben Earl on meth
As long as it's just on the pitch I think of it as pantomime villain stuff.
