‘Sensational’ Henry Pollock ‘attracts eyeballs’ to rugby as league great warns NRL could come sniffing
Northampton Saints star Henry Pollock urged to be himself by Martin Offiah.
Henry Pollock has been warned that his try-scoring celebrations will continue to get him into trouble but the rising Northampton star has also been advised: “Just be yourself.”
The message has come from one of the greatest English try-scorers in rugby history, Martin Offiah, who claimed a remarkable 501 career touchdowns in union and league.
The legendary former winger was famous for his exuberant celebrations and his iconic try for Wigan against Leeds in the 1994 Challenge Cup final at Wembley is immortalised in a bronze statue outside the national stadium.
Bordeaux-Bègles players mocked 20-year-old Pollock in their post-match celebrations following last Saturday’s 28-20 Champions Cup final victory over Northampton in Cardiff.
Pulse-check celebration
A photo circulated on social media showed a Bordeaux player appearing to imitate Pollock’s now-famous post-try celebration by pressing his fingers to his neck.
It was a mocking reference to the talented back-row’s gesture after scoring against Leinster in the semi-final, when he said he was checking the ice in his veins.
Offiah, whose son Tyler is a promising young winger at Bath, told Planet Rugby: “Henry Pollock is a year above Tyler so I’ve followed his career since he was coming through the Northampton academy.
“He was a star then and has been sensational this season, particularly with some of the tries that he’s scored and the way he’s celebrated.
“That’s going to bring wanted and unwanted attention – it comes with the territory and you’ve got to have big enough shoulders to deal with it.
“I used to love celebrate scoring tries when I was playing for Rosslyn Park but it was kind of frowned upon.
“When I crossed codes and signed for Widnes, I found I could be myself more but celebrating tries did get me in a lot of trouble.
“There was a lot of violence – Les Boyd tried to attack me after I scored against Warrington in my first season in league.
“John Joyner famously tried to attack me after I was celebrating against Castleford, there was an incident with Alan Hunte and violence from people like John Bentley, who is a friend now.
“There is lots of footage of YouTube of me getting physically attacked but then again, I stood my ground and now have a statue outside Wembley of me celebrating a famous try.
“So I’d say to Pollock ‘be yourself mate and just learn to accept it’.
“Be unapologetic about how you celebrate because it’s great for rugby union; it creates debate and attracts eyeballs to the sport.
“I’ve given Tyler the same advice of ‘have fun, be your authentic self and express yourself’.
“Tyler has his own ‘T-time’ try celebration after his exuberant dives to score and all the abuse I received – racial or physical – is something I can smile about now.
“But I showed that strength of character to stand up to it and Henry can do the same. Rugby shouldn’t shy away from controversy created by attention.”
Pollock will form part of Andy Farrell’s British and Irish Lions squad for their tour of Australia this summer.
That will bring added scrutiny and challenges, according to Offiah who enjoyed a stint down under during his distinguished playing career.
“Henry is going to get a lot of attention because the Aussies won’t have seen anyone like him come over from England before in rugby union,” said Offiah.
“Again, it’s good for the sport and even if the Bordeaux players were mocking his celebration, it shows how big Pollock’s profile has already got… and that’s before he goes on tour this summer!
“If people are mocking you, you’re doing something right.
“People want to see excitement on a rugby field and players celebrating in the moment because they want to be entertained.
“How good could Henry Pollock be? You never know.
“Just because you’ve got talent, it doesn’t mean you’re going to become a legend.
Danny Cipriani flair
“Maybe as a young player, people said Danny Cipriani was going to be a legend but perhaps they weren’t saying it about a young Martin Johnson or even Jonny Wilkinson.
“Talent doesn’t guarantee anything and that’s why it’s great to watch players’ careers play out and how far they can go.”
Offiah even reckons that Pollock could catch the eye of NRL clubs if he shines for the Lions against the Wallabies.
The 59-year-old explained: “Rugby league is massive over there and the NRL is expanding with two new clubs coming in, from Perth and Papua New Guinea.
“It’s going to become like the NBA – they’re going to be looking at talented individuals who are very good at rugby regardless of where they’ve come from.
“Joseph Suaalii and Sonny Bill Williams have switched between the codes because they’re that good, so talented players will always be in the shop window. Henry Pollock is certainly in that category.”
