‘Child in a Saints kit’ Henry Pollock mocked by Leicester Tigers after East Midlands derby brawl
Henry Pollock and the Saints star arguing with Ollie Chessum.
Leicester Tigers took the opportunity to throw shade at Henry Pollock after their victory over Northampton Saints in the East Midlands derby.
Since bursting onto the scene in 2024, the 21-year-old has become a polarising figure in the sport with his on-field antics being criticised by some.
Pollock certainly doesn’t mind winding up the opposition and he irked the Tigers on the stroke of half-time when a brawl broke out.
It initially seemed to be initiated by Alex Mitchell and Freddie Steward with the the scrum-half saying something to the full-back which led to him reacting.
Chessum puts Pollock in his place
The Saints back-rower soon got involved, though, leading to an irate Leicester captain Ollie Chessum grabbing him by the collar and pushing him away.
However, Pollock did not let it rest and it continued on the steps up to the changing rooms with Chessum and Steward gesturing for him to get inside.
In response, the England star tried to further irk the hosts by stopping in the middle of the path, but he was pushed up the stairs by his Test team-mates.
Tempers continue to flare 😤
The scuffle between Leicester Tigers and Northampton Saints just kept going!
#PREMRugby #GallagherPREM https://t.co/5EYgwX2UWM
— PREM Rugby (@premrugby) October 24, 2026
At the time, Northampton were 7-3 ahead through James Pater’s converted try, but it was Chessum and co. who had the last laugh as they dominated the second half to claim a 28-7 triumph.
Perhaps Pollock’s antics added extra motivation for the hosts’ players and the official Leicester match report could not resist taking a dig at the much talked about Saints and England star.
“A full 30-man brawl was started by a child in Saints kit and continued as he practised tying his laces on the walk up the tunnel,” it read.
Northampton’s loss was their second of the PREM campaign so far with the defending champions currently five points off Gloucester and Leicester, who are first and second respectively.
Saints boss Phil Dowson was left disappointed by their second-half display after having the edge in the opening period.
Lack of Saints ‘buzz’
“We gave them opportunities in our 22 and fundamentally we didn’t fire enough back at them,” Dowson said.
“We gave penalties away in the first half as well, but I thought our reaction to them was a lot stronger in the first half and it’s hard to really place where that dissipated.
“I thought we were in it as a scrap. Obviously, they had some set-piece dominance that hurt us and that put them into our 22 and gave them a ton of energy.
“In the first half I wasn’t surprised to see us react in the way we did. In the second half we didn’t seem to have that same buzz about us.”
