He's ready to compete – Henry Pollock tipped to shine for Lions by Andy Farrell
Henry Pollock has been urged to drive up competition within the British and Irish Lions squad bound for Australia next month by staying true to himself.
The 20-year-old rising star of English rugby has been picked in Andy Farrell's 38-man touring party despite playing only 32 minutes of Test rugby as a replacement against Wales in March when he scored two tries.
On Saturday he was instrumental in helping Northampton dispatch Leinster in the semi-finals of the Champions Cup, outplaying several of his more established Lions rivals in the process.
The dynamic, high-energy flanker plays with a swagger and is unafraid to show his personality, earning the description of 'absolutely annoying' and 'a pest' from new Lions captain Maro Itoje and being described as 'cocky' by former Saints back row Courtney Lawes.
Rather than curb his enthusiasm, Farrell wants Pollock to ruffle some feathers as the squad's bolter.
'If you're good enough, you're old enough. That's 100 per cent,' the Lions head coach said.
'I've heard a lot of stuff that is constant, really, about young kids who are coming through – he's confident, he's cocky. This is not just about Henry, this is about youngsters in general.
'But what do we want? Do we want a kid to show his confidence as a 23-year-old or 24-year-old instead of as a 20-year-old? It's just about the here and now. If he's performing against the type of quality that he has been doing, then he's ready to compete.
'I think you'll see the fight in him and I'm sure he'll push all the others that didn't realise he was coming. I'm sure that he'll relish that.
'You are trying to find a squad that is competing against each other and earning respect. By the time we get to the first Test, you want that competition to make us the best team we can be.'
Finn Russell, Fin Smith and Marcus Smith have been chosen as the three fly-halves, leaving no place for Owen Farrell, but the three-time tourist could be added at a later date if his fitness improves following an injury-hit debut season at Racing 92.
Andy Farrell revealed that his son was 'in the conversation' and is a candidate for one of the two slots that have been kept open for players who are currently struggling with knocks but could yet be involved.
Marcus Smith was far from certain to be selected but Farrell revealed that his ability to cover full-back was decisive. Alongside Russell, he will be the squad's most creative player.
'We've all see what Marcus can do. He relishes the occasion and there's no bigger than a Lions tour,' Farrell said.
Big-name omissions from the squad that will embark on a 10-fixture tour of Australia, starting against Argentina in Dublin on June 20, are Jamie George, Sam Prendergast, Courtney Lawes and Ben Curry.
But there was joy for marginal calls such as Scott Cummings, Jac Morgan, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Ben Earl, Josh van der Flier, Mack Hansen and Elliot Daly.
Scotland's Toulouse full-back Blair Kinghorn is the only player based in France to feature among the 38, which is made up of 21 forwards and 17 backs.
Ireland supply the biggest contingent with 15 players followed by England with 13, Scotland with eight and two from Wales.
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Jack Grealish racked up £10k bar bill partying with pals in the wake Man City's 5-2 win over Crystal Palace - despite playing 3 minutes O'Donnell had taken advice from teammate John McGinn — a Villa colleague of Grealish — on how best to keep him quiet. 'John had given me some tips,' revealed O'Donnell. 'He told me that if Jack comes on I need to get nibbling in his ear but don't be critical, be complimentary. 'So the second he came on I was telling him how good-looking he was, that I loved his calves, and I was asking him how he got his hair to look like that. 'I was told if I kick him or get him really hard, he gets back up and at you.' That was during Gareth Southgate 's reign as England manager, when his reluctance to select Grealish in his starting line-up became a lightning rod. It was seen as proof that the most successful Three Lions boss of the past 60 years was a negative, cautious stick-in-the-mud — the majority of Grealish's 39 caps having come as a substitute. 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Last season, Grealish started just seven Premier League games — and only one after Tuchel started the England job in January. He managed just one goal and one assist in the entire league campaign. Grealish has told Tuchel he is 'not a stop-start player', that he craves rhythm — and Guardiola simply hasn't allowed that to happen during the past two seasons. In January, Guardiola said he wanted to see 'the Jack Grealish that won the Treble'. Grealish played a major role when City swept the board by winning the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup in 2023 — even though his wings had been clipped with less emphasis on dribbling and taking on opponents. But since the iconic image of the boozed-up Brummie standing topless in the piddling rain during City's celebratory bus parade two years ago, Grealish's fortunes have plummeted. Seasons of torment He turns 30 in December but retains his boyish looks and a child-like love of life. His interviews, while on England duty, are great theatre — he is funny, engaging and honest. But despite his charismatic nature, there is also a vulnerability. During one interview, when Grealish's lifestyle had been under the spotlight, the player told the assembled media: 'I just want youse all to like me.' In truth, it is difficult to spend any time in Grealish's company and not like him. Having been assaulted on the pitch by a Birmingham City fan — who was jailed for the incident — during a derby match against Villa, Grealish would have more reason than most to keep his distance from supporters. Yet in an era of roped-off, VIP, multi-millionaire footballers, he is one of the most accessible of big-name players. His down-to-earth qualities were recently displayed when he visited a social club in Wearside in March and stuck £500 behind the bar for fellow drinkers. Whoever does sign Grealish will be recruiting a gem of a player, desperate to express himself after two seasons of torment under Guardiola. Grealish is not a one-dimensional character. He's Jack the Lad and he's Gentleman Jack, too. He is a keen amateur DJ and a Gucci model — which is one of several lucrative commercial deals, ranging from Bose audio equipment to Hellmann's mayonnaise. And he is also an ambassador for Special Olympics GB. His sister Hollie has cerebral palsy and he frequently interacts with disabled people in person and with video messages. His partner Sasha Attwood is a model — like many a Premier League Wag — but the couple are childhood sweethearts who met at school in Solihull. Their first child, Mila, was born in September. Indeed, over the past year or two you would have been more likely to hear about Grealish carrying out a commercial or charitable appearance than playing a game of football. Hopefully that will change this summer. Despite Grealish having two years left on his City contract, Guardiola is happy for him to leave, either on a permanent deal for around £30million to £40million, or on a loan. Everton, who are moving into a swish new stadium next season, are among the leaders in the race to sign him, along with German club Bayer Leverkusen — managed by former Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag. Whoever does sign Grealish will be recruiting a gem of a player, desperate to express himself after two seasons of torment under Guardiola. Any lover of football — any lover of life — will enjoy seeing him play with a smile on his face again. 6 6 6
