World Cup Winner: ‘Most South Africans want to kick Henry Pollock’s head in’
World Cup Winner: 'Most South Africans want to kick Henry Pollock's head in'
One of the biggest storylines in world rugby is set to conclude at the weekend, when Henry Pollock finally comes up against the Springboks, a side with whom he’s already caught the attention of.
“I think most South Africans want to kick his head in,” former Springbok Schalk Brits told The Good, The Bad & The Rugby podcast.
“I think that he is just so different to the typical South African rugby player, quiet, you don’t say much. This guy’s on the opposite end of the scale. He is out there, he stirs, he wants to fight the whole time, but there isn’t really a fight, he’s just pulling shirts and stuff.”
A phenomenal rugby player
Pollock is no stranger to opposition dislike. In fact, even in England, he splits opinion like no other player. Even the great Owen Farrell wasn’t disliked by opposition fans as much as Pollock is. But for all the villainy that comes with the young man’s pantomime, his excellence on the field exceeds all frustration, and England fans will suddenly find themselves cheering on the Northampton Saints star on Saturday.
His impressive nature isn’t lost on the South African Brits, either, who added: “The guy is a phenomenal rugby player, and I quite like the way he’s approaching it. You need these mavericks, and he’s getting it off the pitch, and he’s putting the effort in on the pitch.
“From a South African, we’re licking our lips, and maybe it’s too much of a focus on Mr Pollock, but he’s going to get it at Ellis Park.
“He will want to thrive on this opportunity, because there’s going to be a lot of spice, I would say, if he comes onto the pitch.”
The game could be won or lost in the back row, and with England also able to pick from the likes of Tom Curry, Ben Earl and Ollie Chessum, there could be a real battle at Ellis Park.
The back row battle
The Springbok back row consists of some of the most fearsome talents in the world, including two-time World Rugby Player of the Year, Pieter-Steph du Toit. The powerful flanker returned to action to play against the Barbarians last week after an extended period out with injury, and is expected to provide real physicality alongside Jasper Wiese and Siya Kolisi.
“If you look at England, it’s always been a physical battle with them,” Brits continued, looking ahead to the Nations Championship opener.
“The structures England run are pretty sweet from an attack and defensive perspective. The Premiership was extremely interesting for me, but the attacking forms are beautiful.”
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South Africa benefit from a particularly dominant run of form heading into the match, having won nine out of their last ten matches. England, however, come off the back of an awful Six Nations campaign, in which they lost three of their five matches, including a first-ever loss to Italy.
With both sides set to field almost full-strength sides, it’ll be fascinating to see who comes out on top.
READ MORE: Why Felix Jones REALLY left England and what impact the Springboks had on his decision – report
