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The 42
5 days ago
- Sport
- The 42
'I've got enough pain in my life' - James Lowe on not watching the Champions Cup final
WHILE IT was the main attraction in the world of rugby last weekend, Leinster winger James Lowe ultimately opted against watching Saturday's Investec Champions Cup final between Bordeaux-Begles and Northampton Saints at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff. Despite Lowe crossing the whitewash during a frantic final quarter, Leinster suffered an agonising defeat to Northampton at the penultimate stage of Europe's top-tier in the Aviva Stadium on 3 May. Although a trip to the zoo with his young family last Saturday morning also played its part, the Ireland international acknowledged it was a somewhat conscious choice not to view a Champions Cup decider that didn't feature the eastern province for the first time since 2021. 'I've got enough pain in my life with kids, I don't think I need to force anymore! You can say it's better, but I just didn't want to watch the game. 'It's not that I don't respect the two teams. It just sucks because I wanted to be there. It is what it is. A lot of boys are the same. Some boys could watch it. Some boys watch the replay,' Lowe explained at a Leinster media briefing on Monday. Advertisement 'I didn't know how big the zoo was. We took one pram, we've got two kids. I'm either carrying Nico [his son], or he is face-planting the whole time. That's what I did for the morning, and then in the afternoon, I'm literally entertaining him. 'I knew it was on. I was paying attention to my phone, just watching on the app. Fair play to Bordeaux, congratulations and commiserations to Saints. They have both been exceptional this year. It sucked this year that we weren't there, but that's how it happened.' Since his most recent competitive appearance for Leinster — in a 76-5 demolition of Zebre Parma in the United Rugby Championship at the Aviva Stadium on 10 May — Lowe fulfilled his first official duties as a British & Irish Lion at an admin day that was held in London last Sunday week. This offered him a taste of what to expect when he jets off next month with the rest of the Lions squad for their eagerly-anticipated Tour of Australia, but for now, the New Zealand-born star is firmly focused on ending the 2024-25 season with Leinster on a high. Although he was quick to point out to the assembled media on Monday that the province has just won the Irish Shield for a fourth year in succession, the past three seasons have seen Leinster missing out on major silverware in both the Investec Champions Cup and the United Rugby Championship. While their latest quest to claim a fifth European star was halted by Northampton, there is still a chance for Leo Cullen's men to secure top honours in the URC during the current term. Three semi-final reversals on the bounce in this competition means Leinster are likely to face a mental challenge as well as a physical one in the coming weeks, but they will have to negotiate their way past Scarlets in a quarter-final at the Aviva this Saturday (kick-off 3pm) before they can think about finally achieving a last-four league victory. Yet their ultimate ambition is to lift the URC crown next month, and Lowe believes this would be a fitting way for departing players such as the Gloucester-bound Ross Byrne and the soon-to-be-retired Cian Healy to end their time with Leinster. 'When I look around the changing room and the people who aren't going to be here next year, the two you obviously think of are Ross Byrne and Cian Healy. Some of the best days of your life are when you win silverware together. For Ireland, we have been able to do that in recent years, but we haven't been able to transfer that with Leinster,' Lowe added. 'It doesn't mean that because you have won with Ireland, you are going to win with Leinster. You still have to come back here and perform on the biggest of days and under the most amount of pressure. That's what we want to do. 'We can't let Cian Healy leave Leinster without another silver medal around his neck again. It's not doing him justice. It's not doing Ross Byrne justice. Those boys watched Leinster at Donnybrook years and years ago. That's hopefully the plan for the next three weeks.'
RTÉ News
22-05-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
'Simply jumps into it and embraces the contest' - England boss backs Henry Pollock to star on Lions tour
Henry Pollock is being backed by England boss Steve Borthwick to continue his startling breakthrough season by becoming a Test British and Irish Lion this summer. Pollock won his only England cap against Wales in the final match of the Six Nations but that Cardiff cameo and some rampaging displays for Northampton in Europe have propelled him into Andy Farrell's squad for Australia. Still only 20, the high-energy flanker is one of the most exciting talents in English rugby and Borthwick believes his remarkable career trajectory could produce an appearance against the Wallabies. "Nobody would bet against it. What struck us is that each and every level he steps up to, he really embraces that challenge," Borthwick said of Pollock, who helped the Saints to victory over Leinster in the Champions Cup semi-final. "I sense he's somebody who just jumps all into it and doesn't contemplate it too much. Simply jumps into it and embraces the contest. And I expect him to do the same again this summer. "Look at how quickly he's grown from being at our Six Nations training camp, then playing a couple of games with the Under-20s, to then joining our training camp again and playing at the end of the Six Nations. "The form he's shown for Northampton since then – and in some of the biggest games – has been brilliant. He's clearly an incredibly talented player who just loves the challenge." While Pollock will have responsibility for looking after the Lions' cuddly toy mascot 'BIL' for the entire tour due to being the squad's youngest player, another England forward will head Down Under as the first amongst equals. Maro Itoje has been placed in charge of the Lions for the 10-match itinerary that opens against Argentina in Dublin on 20 June – and Borthwick believes he will lead by example. "I always remember an interview with Martin Johnson after 2003 and they were asking him 'what's the most important thing for a captain to do?'" said Borthwick in reference to England's World Cup-winning skipper, who also led the Lions in 1997 and 2001. "And in the typical Johnno way, with very few words, he replied: 'play well'. That's exactly what Maro does. "Each and every week he plays 80 minutes of every contest. He's exceptional. That's the kind of role model you want as a captain. He also understands the game really well."
Powys County Times
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Powys County Times
Steve Borthwick backs Henry Pollock to make an impact with the Lions this summer
Henry Pollock is being backed by England boss Steve Borthwick to continue his startling breakthrough season by becoming a Test British and Irish Lion this summer. Pollock won his only England cap against Wales in the final match of the Six Nations but that Cardiff cameo and some rampaging displays for Northampton in Europe have propelled him into Andy Farrell's squad for Australia. Still only 20, the high-energy flanker is one of the most exciting talents in English rugby and Borthwick believes his remarkable career trajectory could produce an appearance against the Wallabies. 'Nobody would bet against it. What struck us is that each and every level he steps up to, he really embraces that challenge,' Borthwick said. View this post on Instagram A post shared by The British & Irish Lions (@britishandirishlions) 'I sense he's somebody who just jumps all into it and doesn't contemplate it too much. Simply jumps into it and embraces the contest. And I expect him to do the same again this summer. 'Look at how quickly he's grown from being at our Six Nations training camp, then playing a couple of games with the Under-20s, to then joining our training camp again and playing at the end of the Six Nations. 'The form he's shown for Northampton since then – and in some of the biggest games – has been brilliant. He's clearly an incredibly talented player who just loves the challenge.' While Pollock will have responsibility for looking after the Lions' cuddly toy mascot 'BIL' for the entire tour due to being the squad's youngest player, another England forward will head Down Under as the first amongst equals. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Maro Itoje (@maroitoje) Maro Itoje has been placed in charge of the Lions for the 10-match itinerary that opens against Argentina in Dublin on June 20 – and Borthwick believes he will lead by example. 'I always remember an interview with Martin Johnson after 2003 and they were asking him 'what's the most important thing for a captain to do?'' said Borthwick in reference to England's World Cup-winning skipper, who also led the Lions in 1997 and 2001. 'And in the typical Johnno way, with very few words, he replied: 'play well'. That's exactly what Maro does. 'Each and every week he plays 80 minutes of every contest. He's exceptional. That's the kind of role model you want as a captain. He also understands the game really well.'
Irish Examiner
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Craig Casey: 'I've become a way better player from working with him'
Craig Casey paid heartfelt tribute to scrum-half rival turned good friend Conor Murray as the Ireland Test centurion and three-time British & Irish Lion tourist prepares to play his final home game for Munster in Cork this Friday night. Murray, 36 and 10 years and a day older than his fellow Munster and Ireland number nine, will bid farewell to home supporters at a sell-out Virgin Media Park when the province bids to secure a place in the URC knockout rounds with a final-round victory over play-off rivals Benetton. It is set to be Murray's 205th appearance on a night when Casey is set to reach his 100th cap and the younger scrum-half on Tuesday acknowledged the debt he owes his positional rival. 'I've the utmost respect for Conor Murray,' Casey said. 'I've said this from the moment I came into the academy that he's helped me drastically with any questions I've had; game management and kicking game are the two things I probably went to him most for when I came out of school and he's helped me massively with them. "He's one of my good mates now, to be honest. We've been feisty with each other, we've been competitive, but it's been a good competitiveness. So the career he's had is something that I'd absolutely love to go on and try to do the things that he's done and I've utmost respect for that man. I'll be delighted to see him off.' Casey believes he can still tap into Murray's vast rugby experience for guidance, though he is mindful that possibly drove the senior partner crazy with the amount of questions he used to ask his fellow Limerick man. 'I think I'll always be connected with him and bouncing things off him, no matter if he's in the building or not. I've kind of got that relationship with him now over the last four years that I could definitely ring him up once he's gone and ask him a few questions and he'd be happy to help me out. 'It's his last few months in the building so try and get as much out of him as I possibly can over these next few weeks but I'd say I had him driven demented for the first few years of my career so I've kind of eased off the last few. 'I've become a way better player from working with him. I think the calmness piece is probably the thing, like, nothing really fazes him, to be honest. I'd love to have the frame he has and be like an extra back-row and make tackles like he does but I don't think I'm anywhere near that. 'But the calmness piece and the game management is probably somewhere I went hard at him there and he's given me all the answers he could.'
Daily Mirror
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Pollock's outrageous solo try and 'hype' that made him believe in Lions call-up
Henry Pollock was named as a British and Irish Lion on Thursday and the Northampton sensation begun believing he might get the call after a phenomenal try away at Sale Henry Pollock admits "the hype" over his try for Northampton Saints away at Sale Sharks made him believe that a spot on the British and Irish Lions place was within his grasp. The 20-year-old has completed a meteoric rise this week, arriving into this Premiership season with one appearance to his name, he's now rubbing shoulders with the best Britain and Ireland can offer after being picked by Andy Farrell on Thursday. Pollock has passed every test put in front of him and is seen as one of English rugby's hottest properties. All of his skills were on show back in March when he scored a stunning solo try during a defeat at Sale. The back row, who has all the skills and attributes needed to be a back, scythed and kicked his way through the defensive line opposing him. The Northampton star was passed the ball on the halfway line, sidestepping and handing off two Sale defenders, before producing a sumptuous chip, which he managed to chase down before crossing the white wash. It was after that moment, with the clip of the try going viral online, that Pollock dared to dream of a spot on the tour to Australia with his stock going up and up. He was quizzed on when he begun to believe and said: "Probably the end of the Six Nations, potentially. Or maybe that Sale away game. I think after that try, potentially, the hype over it in the media did increase. I thought about it then. But as I said, I'm not really going into games trying to think about that. I'm just trying to do my job for the team, whether that's hitting rucks or throwing a line-out, it's something that I'm just doing for the team." Pollock made his debut off the bench in England's final game of the Six Nations. During the demolition of Wales he scored two tries to further prove that the hype was justified. He's since bossed a European Cup semi-final and believes a Test start is more than feasible. 'I don't think the coaches would have picked me unless they thought that," said Pollock. "The last year has been mad, a whirlwind and everything has come so fast and I am definitely going on the tour to try and play. I don't want to sit there and watch. But if I am doing that I would be happy to." The Lions' last series victory came in Australia 12 years ago. When Jamie Roberts, Alun Wyn Jones and co were claiming that victory Pollock was just eight years old. It was the tour to New Zealand four years later that really left its mark on him. He said: 'I remember watching the New Zealand tour, in a holiday bar, going down with my dad and brother to watch that. Was it 2017? And I remember thinking 'god this is sick. It is everything you want to be as a rugby player, it is the pinnacle of the sport, the highest honour you can achieve in the sport. I remember thinking it is just mad."
