England great wades into debate over whether ‘pulse check’ Henry Pollock was ‘unfairly targeted’ by Bordeaux
Henry Pollock (right) looks on post-game in Cardiff with Northampton out-half Fin Smith
Retired England international Brian Moore has waded into the debate about Henry Pollock and the theory that he was “unfairly targeted” by Bordeaux-Begles in Saturday’s Investec Champions Cup final.
The 20-year-old’s Northampton side were defeated 28-20 in the decider in Cardiff and footage of his post-game altercation quickly went viral following an individual performance that lacked the sparkle of his meteoric rise over recent months.
Phil Dowson described the post-game actions of Bordeaux as “out of order” and that a complaint had been made about an incident which the match officials told the Saints director of rugby had been seen and would be dealt with.
Ex-Test hooker Moore has now had his say about the one-cap England back-rower, who next month will tour with Andy Farrell’s British and Irish Lions.
Writing in The Telegraph, Moore suggested: “The advent of 24-hour digital news, social media, online comment sections and podcasts have changed the landscape of rugby coverage forever… I do not envy Northampton’s Henry Pollock in dealing with these pitfalls.
“Conundrum for him is how to walk the tall-poppy-syndrome tightrope…”
“At the mere age of 20, he is attracting the sort of headlines that marketing gurus tell us are desirable in the competitive and crowded world of sports public relations. The game needs characters and all that rugby needs to do is foster this celebrity to turn the game into a global, marketable entity. This is untrue, but Pollock and his contemporaries are told it is so.
“Pollock is undoubtedly a character and his talent, though not yet fulfilled, is potentially generational. His performances this season have been remarkable, but events around his last two games, against Saracens and Bordeaux-Begles, show how things might unfold in the future.”
Moore continued: “Look more closely at the coverage of Pollock’s battles against his last two opponents and note the phrasing used. Both weeks it was of Pollock being ‘targeted’.
“Such phrasing implies less innocent motives than simple planning and the regrettable fracas after the final whistle of the Champions Cup final lends credence to theories that Pollock was unfairly targeted.
“Pollock’s ‘pulse-check’ celebration, which marked his try against Leinster in the semi-final, was imitated after the game by the Bordeaux back-rower Tevita Tatafu.”
Moore doubted that Pollock has an “ulterior motive” when celebrating in this way following his semi-final try, but the issue was that nothing goes unnoticed in this digital era.
“Pollock, and every young player today, is encouraged to display overt individuality for the good of the sport, but they are left alone to deal with any negative consequences.
“The conundrum for him is how to walk the tall-poppy-syndrome tightrope. Each time he is raised high, he is at risk of being taken down by bad-faith actors, and if you doubt their existence, a two-minute stint on X/Twitter will thoroughly disabuse you of this notion.”
