British and Irish Lions snub hailed for part in ‘horribly heartwarming’ moment after personal disappointment
Northampton Saints celebrating Tommy Freeman try against Leinster and also his selection in the British and Irish Lions squad.
It was a wonderful time to be connected to Northampton Saints during the British and Irish Lions squad announcement on Thursday.
Four players were named in the 38-man group with them being rewarded for their performances at both club and international level.
Backline trio Alex Mitchell, Fin Smith and Tommy Freeman were always big contenders to go to Australia but 20-year-old Henry Pollock also played his way in to become this year’s bolter.
The back-rower was exceptional in Northampton’s Investec Champions Cup semi-final victory over Leinster and that no doubt proved to be the deciding factor in head coach Andy Farrell’s decision.
Pollock’s reaction
His inclusion drew the biggest reaction from his team-mates with Test centre Fraser Dingwall among those leading the celebrations.
Dingwall himself had come into the reckoning following a fine run of form, with his leadership particularly standing out in the Saints’ triumph in Dublin last weekend.
With the 26-year-old able to cover both positions in the midfield and him outplaying Garry Ringrose at the Aviva Stadium, he waited patiently to see whether his name would be read out.
Elliot Daly’s inclusion was revealed before Freeman found out that he would be going and at that point Dingwall knew that he had not been selected for the Lions. However, that did not stop him from expressing his delight for his club and international team-mate before doing the same for Mitchell and Smith.
Unbelievable moments 🦁
Watch as our boys found out they are going on the @lionsofficial tour together 🖤💚💛 pic.twitter.com/5J0B0Fvm36
— Northampton Saints 😇 (@SaintsRugby) May 8, 2025
His reaction was praised by those on social media with journalist Paul Eddison among those to hail the talented centre.
“Very cool moment here,” he wrote on social media.
“Fair play to Fraser Dingwall, probably a long shot but had a shot after the weekend. When Freeman’s name is read out, he knows he’s not in but is still delighted for his team-mate.”
‘A class act’
Other people spotted the same thing, with one person writing: “Fraser Dingwall is a class act. As soon as Freeman’s name is called he knows his outside bet is off but he’s happy for his friend.
“Hope he’s on the standby list and maybe captain for England’s summer tour.”
Over the past few weeks, Northampton have really shown their togetherness as a team, which has led to their qualification for the Champions Cup showpiece event.
That was very much evident in the players’ reactions to the Lions announcement on Thursday.
“Most wholesome video I’ve seen today. Congrats lads!” one person wrote, while another added: “This is horribly heartwarming. Truly.”
