When the British and Irish Lions head coach Andy Farrell announced on May 8 that 20-year-old, Henry Pollock would be included in his 38-man squad, it came as a shock to many.
It’s a huge gamble by Farrell due to his inexperience at senior level, but standout performances for both Northampton Saints and England has given him the chance, and he’ll most certainly be looking to take it with both hands.
Pollock’s selection for tomorrow evening’s match against Western Force is an intriguing call by Farrell, but one thing is for sure he’ll need to show all of this flamboyance – which has already caused a stir in the rugby world – isn’t all for show and headline seeking when it comes to crunch time in Perth.
Something that Pollock will quickly want to do is prove to the critics that last’s Friday’s match against Argentina when fly-half Tomás Albornoz bumped him off was a one off. One thing that he does well is he creates special moments, bagging a brace on his England debut against Wales and scoring a miraculous try against Leinster in the Champions Cup semi-final.
But yes he did miss a tackle, something a top quality back-row should not be doing, especially at this level. So that’s why the game against Western Force is the best chance for Pollock to show his worth.
“You want people with confidence and belief because that helps when he takes the field,” said head coach Farrell.
“You don’t want a kid to go under the radar and in three weeks’ time just settle into a side. You pick him for a reason.
“He’s a Lion just like the eldest player. There’s no difference whatsoever. His character is infectious to everyone. He’s a great lad.
“He’s hungry to learn and that’s perfect because you can see that he’s got a real point of difference.
“He sees things quickly and acts upon that. His line running is pretty good. His awareness of space, how sharp he is in his mind and his athletic abilities are up there with the other lads in the squad.
“He’s hungry to make a difference the whole time. But he also understands what parts of his game he needs to improve. He’s got a great attitude.”
From previous meetings and from a statistical point of view, the Western Australian side is no way near good enough to cause the Lions problems.
They were the worst performing Australian side in this year’s Super Rugby campaign. Albeit not a rugby union prominent state where Aussie Rules is the beneficiary for the area, there is no wonder why this encounter is nowhere near a sellout (at the time of writing).
The Lions won’t care about that as Farrell has made wholesale changes (13) which will see a number of players begin their quest for a starting Test position. With tougher encounter’s against the likes of the Queensland Reds and ACT Brumbies quickly following this fixture, Farrell will be slowly but surely planting his seeds for the first starting XV that will face Australia July 19th.
Pollock would be the youngest Test Lion of the professional era if he makes an appearance in Brisbane. Against the weakest team, he may have a standout performance, but against a team like the Western Force you kind of expect it.
So he won’t get the plaudits, no one will. All Pollock will be thinking as he heads to Perth’s Optus Stadium early Saturday evening is that the gamble Farrell had taken was all worth it in the end. And maybe we’ll see another try celebration such as the checking of his pulse. Which will definitely attract headlines.
