Steve Borthwick stared at the doom loop after England’s 31-20 defeat by Scotland and resisted the temptation to be sucked in. There are players in the England team to play Ireland on Saturday who deserved to be dropped after their performances at Murrayfield but Borthwick opted to give them a stay of execution. He backed them not to let the team down again — and turned to Henry Pollock to lift the gloom.
As previously outlined in The Times, Borthwick is a believer in the concept of the doom loop, and sees the dangers of reacting to every defeat by making knee-jerk changes, in the vain search for silver-bullet solutions. All that happens is the team loses its direction and performances spiral downwards.
Borthwick did consider wholesale changes. Had England found a way to win the game in Scotland, he may well have been more ruthless. Instead, the head coach backed those who misfired so badly at Murrayfield with a message that they owe him and England a reaction. He did not name names, but it was not hard to work out to whom he might have been referring.
Borthwick expects his wounded players to hit Ireland with a fierce backlash
ERIC MCCOWAT/ALAMY
Maro Itoje, the captain, was replaced early for tactical reasons for the first time in a Six Nations game. Sam Underhill was hooked at half-time. Henry Arundell was sent off for two yellow cards, the first of which was harsh. Less forgivable was the distinct lack of urgency he showed in the build-up to Ben White’s try, sauntering back with Ellis Genge under pressure on England’s line.
None of George Ford, Freddie Steward or Fraser Dingwall enjoyed particularly auspicious days. But all are involved again at Twickenham. “There are players in the team because I’m backing them to put in a performance that they’ll want to put in after last week,” Borthwick said. “If it had gone the way everyone wanted it to go, perhaps I would have changed them. It didn’t and I want players to feel backed.”
But Borthwick had to make some changes. Ben Earl was out on his feet at the end of the game having carried an enormous burden, making 22 carries for 80 metres and 15 tackles. Without being able to win the aerial contests, England lacked enough pace and punch in attack to really trouble Scotland. They were too one-dimensional.
Borthwick has addressed that deficiency by making two notable selections. His project to convert Tommy Freeman into an outside centre has been paused; a decision influenced by Tom Roebuck being unable to play three consecutive Tests having been rushed back against Wales after ten weeks out injured.
Ollie Lawrence comes back into the midfield with Freeman reverting to the wing; immediately improving England’s back-line threat. “If you watched the New Zealand game in November, you saw the carry that Ollie can bring,” Borthwick said. “He can take a game forward. That’s his big point of difference.”
Lawrence can provide England with the sort of gainline power that was missing from the defeat by Scotland
AP
All eyes on Saturday will be on England’s back row and this shock of bleached-blond highlights, which cost upwards of £290 from the Queen’s hairdresser in Mayfair. Pollock has arrived, awarded his first Test start after seven highly impactful bench appearances.
To many, Pollock’s selection is overdue. For once the WhatsApp reaction of a 13-year-old boy summed up the majority of England fans, old and young: “Yesssss.”
So why now? His contributions in attack helped England to beat Australia and New Zealand last autumn. But the final 24 minutes at Murrayfield is the best place to start; a very different test of character. He had stood on the touchline waiting to come on as Scotland hit England with a sucker-punch breakaway try to move 31-13 ahead.
The game was gone. Stretched from pillar to post by Finn Russell, England had been outplayed, outthought and outfought by Scotland. On came Pollock with the attitude of a player who refused to accept his lot. The 21-year-old injected energy into England’s lacklustre performance, with a couple of dynamic carries and a key turnover under his own posts.
The 21-year-old is unlikely to shirk the Twickenham limelight on Saturday
GLYN KIRK/AFP
Andy Robinson, the former England flanker and head coach, spoke glowingly last week of Pollock’s skill level and his rugby intelligence, focusing particularly on the support lines he runs in attack, his decision-making and his desire to make things happen by taking calculated gambles. Even Peter O’Mahony, the teak-tough former Ireland flanker who is as old school as they come, is a fan of this new-school talent.
Pollock’s outrageous tries for Northampton Saints, displaying the pace and skills of a wing, remind Borthwick of his former Saracens team-mate Schalk Brits, who also defied convention as a hooker and played with a sense of unconfined joy and positivity. At a time when England need a lift in mood, that can be priceless.
Shushing the crowd and showboating is all part of pantomime villain Pollock’s repertoire
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“As players Schalk Brits and I couldn’t have been further from each other,” Borthwick said. “What I saw was what he did to everybody around him. He brought energy, skill; he did things I could only dream of doing, he found gaps other players couldn’t see, let alone find.
“Henry Pollock is a player who can find space like that. Ben Earl also falls into that category. You let them bring their natural talent on to the pitch.
“Henry gets people excited. He can bring a euphoria to people that not many players can. I will challenge him to express himself, be himself and bring people joy — and also bring the self-sacrifice that a team sport needs. Do both. He does it wonderfully well and I am looking forward to seeing him do it from the start.
“I want Henry to get the ball in his hands. I want him to find the ball as often as possible. Ben Earl had more than 20 carries last weekend, and I want Henry to have as many carries as possible as well. If we do that, it’s another string to the bow of this team.”
Earl will switch to open-side flanker against Ireland with Pollock at No8 and Tom Curry returning to the starting back row at blind-side; the most fearless and physical of England’s loose forwards alongside the quickest and most skilful. It is a back row built on pace; one quality this Ireland side are missing.
The first time Borthwick met Pollock was in the car park at Franklin’s Gardens in early 2023. Pollock had only just turned 18. “Typically when an 18-year-old meets the England head coach for the first time they are usually on the shy and retiring side,” Borthwick said. “But this man is the complete opposite. The first thing he said was, ‘How are you, mate?’ I thought, ‘Right, you’re different.’ ”
Pollock’s performance against Leinster in the Champions Cup semi-final last year essentially earned him selection for the British & Irish Lions; not just his spectacular try but also the manner in which he outplayed a back row featuring Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris and Jack Conan.
The moment that sticks with Borthwick came in the previous round, at home to Munster. Northampton were winning 34-32 but Munster were mounting one last attack and in range of the posts. A mistake could have cost Saints the game but Pollock saw a window and pounced for the match-winning jackal penalty.
“I have seen a lot of players come on when the game’s tight. They’d rather not do something than make a mistake,” Borthwick said. “Henry Pollock came on and just thought about winning. How do I help my team win this game? And I love that. I thought that was a tremendous moment that tells you about the character of someone.
“He is a larger-than-life character but he is also a guy who sits and studies, who watches and makes sure he delivers when he needs to deliver what is required for the team. He is so intrinsically driven.”
Pollock revels in the role of the pantomime villain. Opposing fans boo him. Rival players try to wind him up. But there will be England supporters at Twickenham on Saturday sporting blond wigs — not everyone can afford a Mayfair hairdo for the occasion — and black head tape.
“He seems to thrive on that, doesn’t he? It seems to just keep fuelling more of the energy that is within him. I find it incredible watching him — there are not many players like him,” Borthwick said. “We want superstars in the game. He has a connection with people. He is a fantastic young man, he is going to get even better as a rugby player.”