England star Henry Pollock has claimed he does not get nervous when playing in front of large crowds, seeing it instead as a “dream”.
Speaking to former England football player Jamie Redknapp on Sky Sports, Pollock said: “It’s a dream to play in front of fans. I love entertaining people. I love playing in front of the big crowds.”
Being only 20 years old and in the spring of his international career, no one would blame the young star for getting the pre-game jitters at Twickenham. But it doesn’t appear to be an issue for Pollock.
“I don’t really get nervous, like I’m excited. My first game in Wales last year at the Principality, I was so excited. I was ready to get out there and play. I love the atmosphere. I love playing in front of fans.”
His energy is infectious, and it’s clearly helping engage a new generation of fans, but what is it about rugby that drew the young man into the sport in the first place?
“I just love how it works in rugby. It’s 15 v 15, and then after the game, you’re mates with them, chatting to them, and it’s left on the pitch.”
‘Winning the 2027 World Cup is the goal!’
Having been included on the 2025 British and Irish Lions tour of Australia, Pollock will be hoping to continue making inroads into the England squad, particularly with the 2027 World Cup just next year.
Redknapp collected Pollock’s thoughts with a year-and-a-half to go.
“Steve’s [Borthwick] come in, and he’s created an amazing group around us, and we have a massive belief that this is a special group. We’ve got amazing talent across the board that we’re going to hopefully do something special,” he said.
“The World Cup’s on the horizon, so we’re building towards that. Every game is just building towards that.
“We talked about the goal, the 2027 World Cup. So, yeah, we can’t wait to see where we go in the Six Nations and in the summer.”
He added: “Winning the 2027 World Cup is the goal!”
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