England: Why ‘superstar’ Henry Pollock is set to shine in first Test start amid Steve Borthwick ‘challenge’
Henry Pollock (left) will make his first Test start when England face Ireland, and he should be a key man for his side.
England head coach Steve Borthwick has challenged Henry Pollock to ‘find the ball as often as possible’, with the Northampton Saints star set for his first Test start.
All of the 20-year-old’s seven Test caps have come off the bench, but he was one of three players drafted into the starting XV for their upcoming clash against Ireland alongside fellow back-rower Tom Curry and centre Ollie Lawrence.
While this will be a new role for him at this level, Pollock has shone in his outings in the England jersey, with three tries to his name thus far.
‘We want superstars in the game’
But, with his inclusion in the starting XV comes pressure. His elaborate try celebrations and mannerisms on the pitch have seen him put under an increasingly large spotlight – no more so than in France, where his every touch was met with boos during Northampton Saints’ recent Investec Champions Cup meeting with Bordeaux-Begles – but Borthwick has no issues with the outside noise surrounding his starlet.
“He seems to thrive on that, doesn’t he?” he told members of the media. “It seems to just keep fuelling more of the energy that is within him. I find it incredible watching him – there are not many players like him. We want superstars in the game.
“He gets people excited, he gets people jumping with joy,” the head coach continued. “He can bring euphoria to people that not many players can. I will challenge him to express himself, be himself and also bring the self-sacrifice that a team sport needs. I am looking forward to seeing him do it from the start.
“I want Henry to get the ball in his hands. I want him to find the ball as often as possible. Ben Earl had more than 20 carries last weekend, and I want Henry to have as many carries as possible as well. If we do that, it’s another string to the bow of this team.”
Analysis: Why Henry Pollock will shine in first Test start
As Borthwick has laid out, Pollock’s inclusion into the starting XV is set to inject fresh pace and power into their attack, and that role is something Pollock relishes.
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We’ve already seen him have that sort of impact for England across his time at Test level, and no more so than this Six Nations. In his combined 39 minutes of action this Championship, Pollock has notched an impressive 66 metres from just eight carries ball-in-hand, while his tally of 44 metres against Scotland was also the fifth-most of any player on the pitch and the third-most of any English player at that.
What allows Pollock to make these impressive tallies is his raw pace and power, which makes him a threat right across the park. Against Scotland, England used him as their ‘edge-forward’, where he would get more time and space on the ball to burst through the line.
Having a back-rower who can offer that sort of wide threat will be such a pivotal weapon for England, especially with Ireland’s defensive system. Andy Farrell’s side do not deploy an aggressive blitz defence, but they tend to hunt high and come in off their edge, notably shown by Italy who got very good change between the 15-metre channels last weekend. If England use Pollock as that wide forward once more, he could cause chaos.
He also enjoys carrying in those heavily congested areas in the middle third of the pitch, too, where he can use his power in the contact to drive through the gainline and get his side playing with quick-ball.
Crucially, having Ben Earl and Tom Curry alongside him should just take the load off him and let him focus on those more explosive carries in broken field. The experienced back-rowers are both very strong carriers in the tight, with both men being deployed at eight across their Test careers as a result, and should also take the lead in the breakdown as well.
It seems like the perfect time to throw him into the starting side, and it could very well be his time to nail down his spot for the future.