Henry Pollock behaviour ‘not the image I had of a Lion’ as sanctioned Bordeaux star hits back over ‘strangling’ furore
Bordeaux-Begles prop Jefferon Poirot and Northampton Saints' Henry Pollock during the Champions Cup final.
Bordeaux-Begles prop Jefferson Poirot has broken his silence after being handed a two-week ban for ‘strangling’ Northampton Saints’ Henry Pollock.
The loosehead was suspended for an incident in the aftermath of UBB’s 28-20 Investec Champions Cup triumph over Northampton on May 24.
He was seen in a video grabbing the throat of Pollock following the final whistle, an action which landed him in hot water with the disciplinary panel.
Poirot, who earned 36 caps for France before retiring from Test rugby, was duly sanctioned for an act “contrary to good sportsmanship”.
Pollock’s version of events
A few days after the incident, the England flanker opened up on the fracas and gave his version of events to TNT Sports.
“He basically grabs my neck and gets his hands on my throat and squeezes my neck. I wasn’t happy with this, I was pretty angry,” Pollock said.
“I managed to rip his (Poirot’s) shirt, and then the bit that you see is as he turns away, I push him, and then his friend comes in.
“We had to do statements after. It was mad, you’ve just won the Champions Cup and the first thing you want to do is run on and strangle a 20-year-old.”
Poirot has since been offered his chance to respond after speaking with TV7 in France ahead of the final round of the Top 14 season.
The prop insisted that he did not intend to get into a scuffle with Pollock but felt the need to after seeing Matthieu Jalibert involved.
‘That’s why I decided to intervene’
“I did sprint back onto the pitch to celebrate. At that moment, I saw Matthieu being held down by two players and that famous Henry Pollock, brave as he is, coming to push him. That’s why I decided to intervene,” Poirot said.
The incident dominated discussion after the match but it has not fazed the former France prop, who states that he has ‘laughed’ at the debate it has caused.
“I admit that all the fuss it caused… I didn’t think it would cause all this. It made me laugh a lot, everything I saw or read, all those that were spread in the press,” he said.
Poirot did have one final comment about Pollock, however, who will tour with the British and Irish later this month, by saying: “It’s not the image I had of a Lion. We’ll see this summer.”
