Springboks legend Victor Matfield has questioned the hype surrounding England youngster Henry Pollock, admitting he is struggling to understand the attention the Northampton Saints flanker receives.
Pollock made a major impact off the bench during England's 45-22 demolition of Australia, replacing the injured Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and scoring twice in 40 minutes on the wing.
The 21-year-old has now scored five tries in this year's Nations Championship, with only Will Jordan managing more. Pollock has averaged a try every 22 minutes across his 110 minutes of action.
His rise has been remarkable, with the Saints forward becoming one of rugby's most talked-about young talents.
Big tackles, outrageous celebrations and a willingness to get under the skin of opponents have made Pollock impossible to ignore.
He has already represented England and toured Australia with the British & Irish Lions, despite still being just 21.
However, Matfield is far from convinced by the excitement surrounding the youngster.
The former Springboks lock, who won the 2007 Rugby World Cup and was named Player of the Tournament, retired in 2015 after making 127 appearances for South Africa.
Speaking on the Rugby Rivals podcast, Matfield questioned Pollock's celebrations and suggested he should give more credit to his teammates.
“I know there’s a big hype around him, but I just still can’t understand it."
“I mean, he ran over with an open try line and it’s all about him. You should go back to your inside backs that did all the work, the forwards that gave you front-foot ball.’
“I just don’t understand his celebrations.”
All Blacks legend John Kirwan, who co-hosts the podcast alongside Matfield, offered a different perspective, describing Pollock as a "superstar" and arguing that England need a player of his profile.
Matfield, however, questioned whether the flanker deserved that label while still struggling to secure a starting place in the England side.
“I just want to still ask: superstar? How can you be a superstar if you don’t even start for your country, playing off the bench? You don’t make the starting line-up.”
Kirwan defended Pollock's popularity, suggesting his connection with supporters was just as important as his performances on the pitch.
“The crowd decide who they’re going to love and who they’re not going to love. For me, the crowd decides and I just think the crowd want a superstar in that English side.
“Is he a superstar from a rugby point of view? You can discuss that and I think that’s another discussion, but I think the crowd and the newspapers, they’re fascinated with him.”
