Sam Warburton pinpoints tough Andy Farrell task after snubbing Ireland star and his worry for Henry Pollock
British and Irish Lions flanker Henry Pollock and an inset of former captain Sam Warburton
Former British and Irish Lions captain Sam Warburton worries that Henry Pollock will fall victim to the same fate as his ex-teammate Justin Tipuric.
Pollock was the youngest player who toured with the Lions to Australia this year, and he impressed during the touring matches with his all-court skill set.
The 20-year-old was unable to force his way into the matchday squad for the Test matches, but still left Australia with credit, according to Warburton.
However, he is concerned that he will fall into the same trap as Tipuric did during the early stages of his career. Like Pollock, Tipuric had an incredible and exciting skill set for a back-rower, but he spent a big chunk of his career coming off the bench.
Worry for Pollock
“Even though he did not feature in the Lions Tests, he showed that he has got the temperament to play Test rugby on the big stage,” Warburton wrote about Pollock in his Times column.
“He is now surely a staple for the England squad. I just hope he doesn’t fall victim too much to what Justin Tipuric suffered with Wales, where for the first part of his career he was considered a good bench player because of his impact skills. Versatility can be a burden as well as a boon. But Pollock has come back with a huge amount of credibility.”
Sticking on the topic of the back-rowers, Warburton concedes that Tadhg Beirne proved him wrong in the Tests after an underwhelming start to the tour.
While Lions boss Andy Farrell still backed him for the Test matches against the Wallabies, he overlooked Josh van der Flier, selecting Tom Curry, Jac Morgan and Ben Earl instead.
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Andy Farrell’s tough task
He believes that Farrell will now have to convince Van der Flier that he still trusts him in the big matches for Ireland despite snubbing him for the Lions Tests.
“If Ireland pick him [Beirne] above a young and upcoming number six you will be able to understand why, because when there is a big game, Beirne rocks up,” he continued.
“He proved a lot of people wrong, myself included, on that trip. I thought Ollie Chessum would start instead, but it was undoubtedly the right call to go with Beirne. Trust and having credit in the bank go a long way in the international game.
“But the flip side of that is that Andy Farrell, the head coach, may have some different scenarios to deal with when he returns to Ireland.
“In 2013 there were 14 Welsh players originally selected on the Lions tour by Warren Gatland, but only Ian Evans didn’t get a Test cap. He made a joke about it with Wales afterwards, but it hurt. A player will always take that personally. You will always be thinking: ‘But you didn’t back me when the stakes were at their highest.’
“So from this tour I think of Josh van der Flier, who missed out, but he will surely recognise that there was exceptional strength and depth in his back-row position. Tom Curry is genuine world class and proved it, and Jac Morgan was excellent all tour.”
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