Northampton Saints director of rugby Phil Dowson insists it\u2019s not \u2018unexpected\u2019 that Henry Pollock has been snapped up by a big agent like Eddie Hearn, and that their new relationship will only be beneficial to the wider sport.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Last week, it was announced that the British and Irish Lions tourist and England international had signed with Hearn\u2019s new sports agency, Matchroom Talent Agency, becoming just the second player on their books after UFC star Tom Aspinall.<\/p>\n
It is also the latest major investment into the English game, be it for a club or player, with Red Bull recently acquiring Newcastle and Dyson\u2019s investment into Bath.<\/p>\n
\u2018It\u2019s going to go to another level with Eddie Hearn\u2019<\/p>\n
Pollock has enjoyed a breakthrough start to his early career, making his Test debut for England and later being called into the Lions tour in only his second season as a professional, but Dowson feels a move like this isn\u2019t a huge surprise given the attention he draws.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s not to be unexpected,\u201d the DoR told the media ahead of their Investec Champions Cup clash with Castres. \u201cHenry\u2019s<\/a> broken through on so many levels, and he\u2019s going to be represented by somebody who has a huge sway in international sport and in the media.<\/p>\n Henry Pollock\u2019s \u2018best player of all-time\u2019 goal convinced Eddie Hearn to sign the England star<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s too unexpected that somebody would pick up Henry.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s been hugely explosive on and off the field,\u201d he continued. \u201cPeople have really responded and interacted with the game, which is hugely positive, and now it\u2019s going to go to another level with Eddie Hearn.\u201d<\/p>\n Want more from Planet Rugby? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list<\/a> for world-class coverage you can trust.<\/p>\n The move has since been met with widespread excitement across the game, with hopes it will boost the overall profile of the sport, and the Saints<\/a> boss shared in that view.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019ll be good for the sport,\u201d Dowson added. \u201cWe\u2019ve seen Red Bull coming in and Dyson investing in Bath; rugby is on a bit of a high. Henry has driven some of that himself, and it\u2019ll be interesting to see how that relationship goes.<\/p>\n