S ome players have a natural flair for getting under the skin of their opponents and Henry Pollock has his own particular box of tricks. Take his first appearance for England A, against their Australian counterparts at the Twickenham Stoop last month, during which Pollock took umbrage to being dug in the ribs at a ruck by Tom Hooper, the Australia blind-side flanker. At 6ft 6in and 19st, Hooper is about four inches taller and three stone heavier than Pollock, the 19-year-old Northampton Saints open-side, and already has ten Wallabies caps to his name.
Pollock’s response was to grab Hooper’s red scrum cap, rip it clean off his head and hurl it away from the ruck. Incensed, Hooper grabbed Pollock by the scruff of the neck in time-honoured fashion and the two packs converged around them amid a flurry of pushing and shoving. The referee had a cautionary word with both flankers and Pollock jogged off with a smile on his face, another opponent successfully riled.
“I’m at my best when I’m confrontational,” Pollock said afterwards. “I’m not shying away from that.”.
