Courtney Lawes’ verdict on Henry Pollock and what he would like to see ‘more’ of from gifted youngster
England back-rower Henry Pollock and former Test flanker Courtney Lawes.
England great Courtney Lawes has backed the selection of Henry Pollock in the XV to face Ireland, although he has seen some obvious improvements the back-row can make.
Steve Borthwick has brought the British and Irish Lions tourist into the starting line-up following their abject 31-20 defeat to Scotland last weekend.
Pollock will line up at number eight in a loose trio which also features Tom Curry and Ben Earl as England look to get their Six Nations back on track.
Getting campaign back on track
They take on Ireland at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham on Saturday, no doubt hoping to put in a much better display than they produced at Murrayfield.
Lawes believes that the young back-rower will add plenty in attack, but also hopes to see certain developments in his defensive game.
“The selections of Henry Pollock, Tom Curry and Ollie Lawrence point to an England team who will bring more punch in attack and more pace across the park to fix up the areas that went wrong against Scotland and deliver that immediate reaction,” he wrote in his Times column.
“Henry is the kind of player that England need, someone who will bring a lot of pace and abrasive ball-carrying. He is physical in attack and has immense speed down the wing.
“He can also make his mark in defence with his ability to turn the ball over. I’d like to see him in the thick of it in defence a bit more. He prefers to look for the breakdown opportunities rather than be in amongst it in the tackle.
“But that’s also part of his game. He’s definitely improving. He’s participating more as a forward and trying to get himself through those brick wall situations when he needs to. Henry has got a really good opportunity to go out there and impose himself on the game.
“He is playing alongside Ben Earl, who will get through a ton of work, and Curry, the most well-rounded back-row player in England, maybe in the world.”
Attacking talent
Despite his red card against Scotland, Borthwick has kept Henry Arundell in the XV and added even more attacking firepower in the form of Ollie Lawrence.
“Lawrence is fantastic in the centre. He is much quicker than you think and he has got really good hands. He is going to get you over the gainline, bend the defence and create some space outside him for Tommy Freeman and Henry Arundell,” Lawes added.
“England will target the Ireland scrum, which held up OK against France but turned ugly against Italy. That will be a massive factor for England in their bid to get back on to the horse.”
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