Last Friday evening, at Northampton’s Academy House, Henry Pollock and two of his young team-mates gathered around the TV to watch Luke Littler. They were hysterical and threw several darts as the boy from Warrington ascended to the throne aged just 17.
Another week, another teen sensation making headlines. Like Moses Itauma in the Saudi Arabian boxing ring or Ethan Nwaneri in Arsenal midfield, Littler showed youthful bravery to the next generation of British sporting stars.
In rugby, England’s Under-20 World Cup winners are showing off their skills at senior level. Pollock is one of the shining lights invited to Twickenham this week by Steve Borthwick, who is looking to the not-too-distant future.
He has already established himself in Northampton’s senior ranks and is expected to feature in Saturday’s Champions Cup tie against Stade Francais in Paris. It seems only a matter of time before he achieves full international honours.
‘It was really upsetting to see what Littler did at that age,’ said Pollock, 19, who had settled into his suite at Franklin’s Gardens. ‘We wanted to go to Ally Pally and watch it but it didn’t really coincide with the game time. It’s very exciting because there’s a lot of talent coming out, whether it’s darts, boxing or soccer.
‘Last year was a very special year for us. The Under-20s group we won the Six Nations in Pau was the first time we had played in front of a packed crowd that didn’t like you. It was pretty cool.
Henry Pollock is one of a new generation looking to break into Steve Borthwick’s England team.
Pollock said it was ‘crazy’ to see Luke Littler become darts world champion at the age of 17.
Pollock helped England win the Under-20 Six Nations last year and is targeting a senior call-up.
‘We really had one attitude. A fire broke out. It was a group of high achievers, including Junior Kpoku, who started for Racing, Asher Opoku-Fordjour, who made his England debut in the autumn, and Afo Fasogbon, who played for Gloucester and defeated Ellis Genge. Here’s Northampton’s Arch McParland, Bath’s Billy Sela, Newcastle’s Ben Redshaw playing full-time in the 80s and Kepu Tuipulotu making his debut against us last weekend.
‘England Rugby’s career path system shines. We can look back on the four or five years Romain Ntamack’s France team played in back-to-back World Cups for the under-20s. By that year the group was now the best in the world. Hopefully, the 20-something group we were in really only got this far…’
Pollock did not arrive quietly. He is an all-action back row who cheers and grabs the collar, backing up the noise with carries, tackles and turnovers. He was mentored by former England and Saints skipper Dylan Hartley during his schoolboy days at Stowe and shared a similar desire for confrontation.
Dylan basically said, “When you come to Saints, don’t care who the people are, just go sit next to Courtney Lawes and all the big dogs.”
‘I looked at him and said, “I don’t think that’s going to work.” “If it’s not working, you’re not in the right place,” he said. I said, “But I’m going to get hit,” and he said, “Well, I’m going to have to get hit.”
So did he sit in the back of the room? ‘no! I sat in the front like two little shoes. I think the thing to consider was just being yourself and not going into your shell. He was a good role model. Because he did a good job.’
Pollock talks as he plays. The words rolled off his tongue at machine-gun speed, pausing occasionally to catch his breath. He is a man full of energy. It’s a trait I can trace back to my childhood spent running triathlons on cold winter mornings.
‘My childhood was very sporty,’ he explains. ‘I went to a really good private school and played all the sports there. Swimming, running I had a really good fitness base which gave me an aerobic advantage. My mother was quite keen on modern pentathlon – horseback riding, shooting and running – but had to give it up before the Olympics when she became pregnant with my sister. I became a national triathlon champion when I was very young (13-14 years old).
Pollock is the back row who does all the action, backing up the noise with carries, tackles and turnovers.
He was mentored by former England and Saints skipper Dylan Hartley during his time as a schoolboy at Stowe.
Pollock is interested in combat sports and admires UFC stars like Israel Adesanya.
Explosive New Zealand star Ardie Savea has been named one of Pollock’s rugby idols.
‘It’s a mental battle. It’s a tough sport. I did the Eton Dorney piece when I was 13. That piece was pretty good. When mass started, I jumped into the water and shivered because it was so cold. It was fun. Maybe when I retire it would be a good idea to do a few Ironman events. Hawaii has a couple where it’s too hot and humid.
‘Perhaps the Marathon des Sables in Morocco… While running through the desert for seven days and seven nights, all you will have left is your own thoughts. That would be pretty cool. That feeling of pain and the relief afterwards, that’s why you do it. I always had that thought.’
Pollock has the mentality of a fighter. Rather than Littler’s eye for double 10 or Nwaneri’s ability to cut in from the wing, the Northampton youngster has a more natural affinity for combat sports.
‘I like their attitude in the UFC. I am looking forward to the fight between Israel Adesanya and Nassourdine Imavov from Dagestan. Some of those people almost talk about winning. I grew up watching Conor McGregor. He’s a little off the rails now, but I watched him a lot early in his career, before all the court cases.
‘He dominated the sport and made it something brand new. All the talking, the swagger, showing up in the Rolls Royce and chatting. He didn’t care what people thought or what people said about them. He just spoke it into existence and supported it within us.
‘I’m reading the Law of Attraction on how to manifest your thoughts into existence. It’s about visualizing yourself doing something and visualizing that it exists. In this weekend’s game against Stade, you’ll probably visualize the No 8 running down your channel and getting into the headspace to take action before something like that happens. I’m playing with it now.’
His rugby idol? ‘On the international stage, Adi Savea is a player who can be seen in the back row of matches. He’s explosive and has everything you want in a loose forward area. These are the players that never go away, like Michael Hooper or David Pocock. That’s what I’m working on. It’s a nuisance anywhere on the pitch.
‘I am not a person who avoids confrontation. I’m not going to show myself just because I’m 19. I give 100% effort in everything I do and never back down. If you like it, you like it. If not, then no.’
Pollock was man-of-the-match on his England A debut and clashed with Australia’s Tom Hooper.
Pollock said playing for England was his ‘biggest goal of the year’ after being invited to Twickenham.
Helping Northampton Saints win back-to-back Premiership titles is another key ambition.
Pollock was named man of the match on his England A debut in November, ripping the scrum cap off the head of his counterpart, Australian flanker Tom Hooper, in the process.
England have a wealth of back-row resources. Tom Willis appears to be the next breakthrough. And Pollock could make his debut against Argentina on the summer tour while the Lions players are in Australia.
“Playing for England is my biggest goal this year,” he said. ‘It was great to go to Twickenham this week and meet all the coaches and top players from across the country. I performed well at Northampton and I hope the coaches see that. As a young kid coming into the Saints, they don’t hesitate to put you in the deep end. This is exactly what the saints pursue. It gives you confidence.
‘It certainly wasn’t easy. With the transition between senior games, it can be easy to underestimate how hard it takes on the body. I am young and my body is still functioning, but when I see people 10 years older than me listening to their bodies. Anyone can say that playing for your country is the best. Look 10 years from now and the Lions will be there. Everything I wanted to do when I was young. The fight doesn’t go away.’
As he swaggered out of his suite at Franklin’s Gardens, Pollock gazed at a huge photo of the Saints team that won last season’s premiership. Champagne bottle and ski goggles. ‘I missed it,’ he says. ‘I was in Georgia with some 20-somethings.’
Has it inspired his generation to do it all again? ‘Of course,’ he replies, with the confidence of a teenager who has never done anything wrong. ‘Back to back?
