Coach takes issue with Henry Pollock's conduct on Lions tour
Pollock was a popular Lions tourist with his team-mates despite ruffling a few feathers
Henry Pollock (r) celebrates with Lions team-mate Tommy Freeman
(Image: 2025 Getty Images)
Legendary South African coach Jake White has questioned the conduct of Henry Pollock on the recent Lions tour after being unimpressed by certain things he saw. Pollock's confident youthful exuberance on and off the pitch was seen by many as a positive, but White says some of his choices went against the traditions and values of the tourists.
Pollock made five appearances for the Lions in total, but was not included in the matchday squad for any of the three Tests. He was a popular member of the touring party with team-mates, with his personality on show for all to see.
Former Springboks and Bulls coach White, though, seems to have strangely taken issue with him wearing his baseball cap the wrong way round. He did, however, praise coach Andy Farrell for his handling of the player.
'One of the curveballs could have been the effervescent Henry Pollock but I think Andy Farrell handled him really well. I looked at him in the first Test and he was wearing a baseball cap the wrong way round,' he wrote in his RugbyPass column.
'I look at the history, traditions and values of the Lions and it doesn't warrant you doing that.
'That's me talking but to be fair, he got game time, got a feel of what it's like to be a Lion and while at times, he showed how young he was with the behaviours he exhibited there's no doubting he has talent. I think he will emerge stronger for the experience and will be around the Test game for a long time."
Article continues below
Pollock ruffled feathers during the tour after insisting their intention was to whitewash Australia 3-0 and become the best team to have represented the elite of British and Irish rugby.
He has since been rewarded with an enhanced England contract for the first time as reward for his breakout year in Test rugby.
The 20-year-old back-row has made only one appearance for his country, scoring two tries as a replacement in the 68-14 Six Nations win over Wales in March.
His late-season form for Northampton led to selection for the British and Irish Lions' successful tour of Australia.
Sam Warburton has praised Northampton Saints back-rower Henry Pollock.
(Image: Huw Evans Picture Agency Ltd)
Pollock earned praise from Lions legend Sam Warburton after the tour, with the former Wales captain insisting he must now start for England and not be seen as an impact player from the bench.
Article continues below
"I just hope he doesn't fall victim too much to what Justin Tipuric suffered with Wales," Warburton said.
"Where for the first part of his career he was considered a good bench player because of his impact skills.
"Versatility can be a burden as well as a boon. But Pollock has come back with a huge amount of credibility."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Glasgow Times
26 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
Rodgers on Kenny's 'honest' Celtic performance vs Falkirk
The Irish striker was chosen to start while Adam Idah was benched. Kenny played until the 62nd minute before being replaced by Shin Yamada. In his post-match press conference, Rodgers was asked about Kenny's part in Celtic's 4-1 win. He said: "I think he worked very hard. Read more: "He's an honest boy who gives his all in the game, and that's what the team's about. "[He] didn't have so many chances, a couple of good wee runs, didn't quite drop to him in the box, but I thought he worked very hard and then created the chance then for Shin Yamada to come on." Kenny did not manage to score but was handed a new contract by Celtic last week, keeping him at the club until at least the summer of 2029. The Scottish Premiership champions have also recently secured Dane Murray with a new deal, lasting until 2028. The central defender scored in the win over Falkirk. Rodgers said after the match: "I think his ceiling's so high. "There are areas of the game that he needs to clearly, obviously work on. "But he's 6'4'', he's quick, he can take the ball. "He has a comfort with the ball which aligns with top players and he just, again, concentration is something that's key for defenders. "But I really like him and that's hence the reason we've tied him down."
Daily Mail
27 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Ryan Reynolds reveals awkward first meeting with Wrexham's record signing before home loss to West Brom
Ryan Reynolds has admitted he was taken aback when he came face-to-face with Wrexham 's record signing Nathan Broadhead. Earlier this week, Broadhead penned a four-year deal to return to the club where he began his career as an academy player, joining from Ipswich. Wrexham are understood to have paid a club-record fee, with an initial £7.5million and a further £2.5m in add-ons. And when the Hollywood star finally met the forward in person, he confessed he didn't even recognise him at first. 'Obviously those things are in the works a little longer than the public view might have,' Reynolds told ITV ahead of Wrexham's clash with West Brom. 'I had an incredibly awkward moment with him in the dressing room because in person, he just looks so young and I've seen him play tons, I've watched him. The forward came off the bench as Wrexham suffered a 3-2 defeat by West Brom 'I didn't commit. I was like "hey, hi!" I was like "that can't be Nathan Broadhead. It can't be, he's too young". But he's 27 and he's a machine. 'So I had that, but now it's sunk in. I managed to get my entire leg in my mouth. Now it's sunk in.' Broadhead started on the bench against West Brom was forced into action earlier than expected, replacing the injured Josh Windass during the first half against West Brom. The Baggies inflicted a second defeat of the season on Wrexham, claiming a 3-2 win at the Racecourse Ground. The arrival of Broadhead came after Wrexham had already added Premier League experience in Conor Coady, Kieffer Moore, Danny Ward, and Lewis O'Brien, who was their previous record signing. The Red Dragons will seek to pick up their first Championship win of the season when they host Sheffield Wednesday next weekend.
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Moses Itauma vs Dillian Whyte LIVE: UK start time, undercard results, TV and stream
Dillian Whyte will attempt to derail the Moses Itauma hype train tonight when the British heavyweights collide in Saudi Arabia. Itauma has steamrollered his way through his opposition thus far - winning 10 of his 12 professional fights by stoppage, but should find tonight's assignment considerably tougher. Whyte may have been inactive of late but his experience should pose a stern test for young Itauma. The main event is due to start at around 10.30pm UK time and will be streamed on DAZN, but there is plenty of action beforehand with Nick Ball defending his featherweight world title against Sam Goodman on the undercard. And we will bring you the round-by-round action from every fight in Riyadh... 17:00Martin Domin Fight card, running order and start times Moses Itauma vs Dillian Whyte - 10.30pm Nick Ball vs Sam Goodman - 9.30pm Filip Hrgovic vs David Adeleye - 8.30pm Raymond Ford vs Abraham Nova - 7.30pm Hayato Tsutsumi vs Qais Ashfaq - 6.30pm Mohammed Alakel vs Yumnam Santosh Singh - 6pm 16:58Martin Domin Here we go... Welcome to our coverage of tonight's heavyweight showdown between Moses Itauma and Dillian Whyte. This should be an acid test for young Itauma who has long been hailed as a future star of the division. We will have all the action from the main event and the undercard with the first fight set to get underway at around 6pm local time.
