Erling Haaland style among our football neighbors, he could certainly have played the role of the high school villain if he did not embrace a career in rugby. A snoring face, tousled blonde hair, an already obvious bedroom side and quite exceptional sporting skills: Henry Pollock could very well have flooded your screens in the afternoon, during the famous TF1 TV films.
At not yet 20 years old, he has already carved out a good reputation across the Channel. Between his talent and his arrogant air – a smirk always on the corner of his lips – the 3rd Englishman has enough to annoy his opponents. And we wouldn't be surprised to see some old hands from the Premiership try to put him back on the right path with heavy blows of their helmets, on occasion…
A very wide palette
The thing is that this devil Pollock often has something to worry about in the field. All the crazy moves he tries succeed, he has won everything among the youngsters and it is often he who tortures his opponents, despite a modest size (1m88 for 100kg) thanks to his rare explosiveness and his explosive aggressiveness.
“The last player who impressed me was Henry Pollockeven admitted the also very promising Toulouse, Mathis Castro-Ferreira. Quite an impressive player, not very tall, but explosive, strong and hard on contact.“
Especially since its palette is broad, to say the least. Like his idol Michael Hooper, he is poisonous in the ruck zones, thanks to his tight physique and close to the ground. His canes? There is no doubt that seeing him burn 3/4 of the race, Northampton's flanker or number 8 could play at 7, like Joé Quere-Qaraba.
All sprinkled by, whether we like it or not, a fairly impressive sense of the game, and gestural qualities that are probably remarkable for the position.
From there to say that Henry Pollock will be the future star of English rugby? There is only one step. Because across the Channel, Pollock has been impressing for a while. Youngest Saints test scorer in the professional era, captain of the English U20s, best player of the 2024 Tournament, he is a hit wherever he goes.
Loaned to the Bedford Blues in the English D2 for a few months last year to get his feet wet, he scored 3 tries in 5 games. Today, with the departures of Lawes and Ludlam for France, his place in Northampton's pro squad seems ready-made, as he has impressed in every outing since the start of the season. Like his try against Castres in the Champions Cup, where he beat 5 defenders.
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Still eligible for the England U20s in 2025, it nevertheless seems unlikely that we will not see Pollock with the big boys soon, he who was voted man of the match during his only appearance with England A so far. Because obviously, Pollock likes to skip the steps and be the girls' favorite. As a good high school villain…
