Maro Itoje captains Lions as 38-man squad revealed including shock call up for England star, 20, and coach's son snubbed
HENRY POLLOCK completed his remarkable rise when the Northampton flanker was named in the British and Irish Lions squad for the summer tour to Australia.
Pollock, 20, only made his England debut off the bench in the final Six Nations mauling of Wales in March.
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But a series of thunderous displays, including a huge contribution as Saints shocked Leinster to reach the Champions Cup Final saw Pollock get the Lions call from coach Andy Farrell.
While it was celebrations for Pollock, there was heartbreak for England team-mate Jamie George, just months after he also lost the Red Rose captaincy.
A 38-man squad dominated by Ireland and England was unveiled in front of a live audience at the Indigo venue of London's O2 complex.
England skipper Maro Itoje was confirmed by Farrell as the 47th Lions captain, entering the stage carrying the tour mascot 'Bill' under his arm.
Itoje said: 'It's hard to articulate. It's a tremendous honour and privilege. You think about the people who've held this position before and it's remarkable.
'I will do my very best to ensure I contribute to the success of the tour.'
He revealed the news came in a truncated phone conversation when Farrell's words cut out half-way through.
England skipper Itoje said: 'I got a call from an Irish number on Tuesday. I don't have many Irish people calling me and didn't have his number saved.
'But I picked it up, heard a Wigan accent and put two and two together - although the signal was quite bad.'
Itoje was one of 13 England players named, with surprise inclusion for George's Red Rose hooker rival Luke Cowan and utility back Elliot Daly.
There was also space for Marcus Smith, moved to full-back for England's Six Nations campaign, as well as Northampton No 10 Fin Smith.
Farrell took 15 of his Ireland charges, including 12 from Leinster, with Wales only represented by scrum half Tomos William and back rower Jac Morgan.
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Finn Russell and Blair Kinghorn head Scotland's eight selected Lions for the three-Test series against the Wallabies.
But Farrell, forced to plan without Ireland back rower Caelan Doris after his shoulder operation, also resisted the temptation to include his son, former England captain Owen, who has suffered an injury-hit season at Racing 92 in France.
British and Irish Lions squad
Forwards:
Tadhg Beirne (Munster, Ireland), Ollie Chessum (Leicester, England), Jack Conan (Leinster, Ireland), Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale, England), Scott Cummins (Glasgow, Scotland), Tom Curry (Sale, England), Ben Earl (Saracens, England), Zander Fagerson (Glasgow, Scotland), Tadhg Furlong (Leinster, Ireland), Ellis Genge (Bristol, England), Maro Itoje (Saracens, England, captain), Ronan Kelleher (Leinster, Ireland),, Joe McCarthy (Leinster, Ireland), Jac Morgan (Ospreys, Wales), Henry Pollock (Northampton, England), Andrew Porter (Leinster, Ireland), James Ryan (Leinster, Ireland), Pierre Schoeman (Edinburgh, Scotland), Dan Sheehan (Leinster, Ireland), Will Stuart (Bath, England), Josh van der Flier (Leinster, Ireland)
Backs:
Bundee Aki (Connacht, Ireland), Elliot Daly (Saracens, England), Tommy Freeman (Northampton, England), Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster, Ireland), Mack Hansen (Connacht, Ireland), Huw Jones (Glasgow, Scotland), Hugo Keenan (Leinster, Ireland), Blair Kinghorn (Toulouse, Scotland), James Lowe (Leinster, Ireland), Alex Mitchell (Northampton, England), Garry Ringrose (Leinster, Ireland), Finn Russell (Bath, Scotland), Fin Smith (Northampton, England), Marcus Smith (Harlequins, England), Sione Tuipulotu (Glasgow, Scotland), Duhan van der Merwe (Edinburgh, Scotland), Tomos Williams (Gloucester, Wales)
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