It is time for Steve Borthwick to play his trump card. Henry Pollock has still not started a Test for England and now is the perfect time to catapult the 21-year-old into the XV.
The mood has dipped after Saturday’s defeat by Scotland and no one can lift spirits as much as their peroxide ball of energy. It would be a statement move by the selectors.
But naming Pollock in the back-row is not just about vibes and PR. He makes headlines for his outlandish moments on the pitch but his performance data backs it up. Pollock only played 24 minutes against Scotland yet only Freddie Steward and Ben Earl (who both played the entire match) carried the ball for more metres in Edinburgh.
Pollock injected tempo into England’s attacking play, showing a positive intent that does not rely upon a dominant territorial kicking game.
There are few players in the Test arena with Pollock’s X factor. His speed and ability to beat defenders can be a catalyst to elevate England’s attack which has become reliant on winning the crumbs of the aerial contest.
Pollock only played 24 minutes against Scotland yet only Freddie Steward and Ben Earl (who both played the entire match) carried the ball for more metres
It is time for Pollock to ditch the bib and make his first England start
Sam Underhill missed a handful of tackles against Scotland on Saturday
Sam Underhill and Guy Pepper have been the incumbents of England’s back-row jerseys ever since their impressive displays on the summer tour of Argentina. Yet they both missed a handful of tackles against Scotland as their attritional approach hit the buffers.
Pollock has whole-heartedly bought into his Pom Squad role over the past 12 months but has made no secret of his ambitions to break into the starting team. His patience should be rewarded.
Pollock shares a room with Pepper at the team’s Pennyhill Park training base and the youngsters could become a long-term double act in England’s back-row. He has ambitions to run the gruelling Marathon des Sables one day so there is no question about his capacity to bring his energy for a full 80 minutes.
Borthwick is unlikely to make reactionary wholesale changes after the weekend but replacing Underhill with Pollock would be significant.
NIK SIMON’S ENGLAND TEAM TO FACE IRELAND: Furbank; Roebuck, Freeman, Dingwall, Arundell; Ford, Mitchell; Genge, Cowan-Dickie, Heyes, Chessum, Itoje, Pepper, Pollock, Earl.